Municipalities step up surveillance of food firms

Doha, Qatar: Several municipalities have announced that they have stepped up their readiness for the holy month of Ramadan through conducting surveill...

Doha, Qatar: Several municipalities have announced that they have stepped up their readiness for the holy month of Ramadan through conducting surveillance inspections on food enterprises nationwide.

As such, Doha Municipality steps up its surveillance plan on all food and health enterprises by carrying out almost 10,000 inspection rounds during this Ramadan and taking 298 food samples to be analysed in the government laboratory, as well as taking legal action against violators, alongside intensifying awareness efforts and dealing immediately with complaints.

Director of the Control Department at Doha Municipality, Hamad Sultan Al Shahwani, asserted that an overall health surveillance plan has been devised for Ramadan to ensure heightened enforcement of laws and regulations, foremost of which is the Minister’s Decision No. (8) of 1990, on regulating human food surveillance.

Director of the Municipal Control Department in Al Shahaniya Municipality, Majed Burhan Al Zaidan, clarified to QNA that all surveillance teams are operating for one objective: to provide safe food throughout the whole year by stepping up inspections during Ramadan, including all food enterprises with their various activities, with a sharp focus on the activities that are mostly in demand during the month.

Umm Salal Municipality prepared an inspection plan, including intensified daily surveillance inspections, sampling and laboratory testing, monitoring of cold chain, storage, and transportation, implementation of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and HACCP systems, regulatory enforcement actions under approved standards, and public education and outreach programs for workers and consumers.