The Ministry of Public Health of Qatar marked World Food Safety Day, which falls on 7 June, under the theme “Safe food today for a healthy tomorrow", and slogan "Food Safety is Everyone’s Responsibility."

On this occasion, the Ministry organized a number of activities and events, including:

Virtual Workshops

Three workshops targeting family-run businesses over three days on:

• Introduction to Food Safety -Types of food contamination and sources
• Types of bacteria and where they’re found in food (e.g. Salmonella, E. Coli , Staphylococcus, Listeria and Bacillus Cereus)
• Food poisoning, signs and symptoms.

General requirements of Food Premises were explained, for example

• Infrastructure and tools and equipment that should be used in the kitchen
• Food handlers and the housekeeping requirements (e.g. Health Certificates, Personal Hygiene, Good Hygiene Practices, Proper Handwashing)
• Proper food purchasing habits and transportation of food
• Cold and dry storage of food
• The food chain phases – (Washing and disinfecting food and vegetables, defrosting, cooking, cooling, heating, food packaging, etc.)
• Food sampling
• Cleaning and disinfecting the food premises, and tools & equipment for preparing food as well as the proper dishwashing procedures
• Pest control
• Food display during and events and exhibitions.

A workshop titled “Common Food Safety Mistakes" for food importing companies also was organized.

Workshop objectives

1. Introduction to Qatari food law No. 8 of 1990
2. Getting acquainted with types of food violations
3. Getting acquainted with types of foodborne diseases
4. Getting acquainted with the food safety administrations in Qatar and their roles.
5. Statistical data for the years 2018-2019-2020 on the major food violations.
6. Introducing the concept of hygienic food handling.
7. Introducing major foodborne diseases and their causative agents.
8. Learning about food safety concept from farm to fork.

Topics

1. Food law definitions and general provisions
2. The bodies competent to implement this law and the limits of their respective jurisdiction
3. Regulation of food control and handling
4. Offenses, penalties, and final provisions regarding food safety violations
5. Halal products
6. Toxic substances
7. Food additives
8. Food contamination (cross-contamination)
9. Food poisoning
10. Food infection
11. Food preservation
12. Farm to fork food safety

 Other Activities

 -        Activities also featured awareness messages on social media and text messages via mobile phones: 

• 'Dear costumer make sure to buy food items (cold or hot )  that are preserved at  appropriate temperatures'. 
• 'Dear food provider / manufacturer please ensure and follow the necessary health requirements to provide safe food'.   
• 'Keeping food safety requirements today is ensuring the safety of your children tomorrow, so be a partner in building a healthy and safe generation'.  
• 'Food safety means prevention of diseases transmitted through it, so make sure to do your part at any stage in which you handle food'. 

-        Short videos on food safety

-        Awareness leaflets containing food safety guidelines distributed at supermarkets and malls. 

The Ministry of Public Health building was lit in orange to mark World Food Safety Day.

TV channels (Qatar and Alrayyan TV) and radio news featured interviews with MoPH Food Safety Department staff including Mrs Wassan Al Baker, Director of Food Safety & Environmental Health.

Wassan Abdulla Al-Baker, Director of Food Safety and Environmental Health at the Ministry of Public Health said that the World Food Safety Day is an important occasion to promote food safety and warn of unsafe food risks on health. 

“The Ministry of Public Health is keen to ensure the safety of food sold at outlets in Qatar, food compliance to health standards and intensifying food safety awareness campaigns which focus on the right and safe ways related to food safety, such as shopping, food preparation, transport, display, sale, storage, general hygiene and health practices,” added Wassan Al-Baker.

She also stated that samples of food products produced locally are tested to prevent any microbial and chemical risks. Food samples are tested using state-of-art devices to ensure conformity with the highest standards of Codex Alimentarius Commission, Word Health Organization and GCC Standardization Organization. Al Baker pointed out that food testing is done at the MoPH central laboratories, which are accredited internationally and ranked among the top 15 laboratories in the world. The labs adopt approved and reliable analysis methods based on the ISO 17025:2017 quality management guidelines.

An online system has been developed for issuing health and food certificates and paying the fees associated with exported food certificates, food destruction certificates and food tests requested by importing and exporting companies.

Marking World Food Safety Day aims at raising awareness of food safety, preventing diseases through food safety, discussing collaborative approaches to enhance food safety across different sectors, and promoting solutions and ways to achieve further progress in food safety.

Read more

MOPH celebrates World Food Safety Day: https://www.moph.gov.qa/english/mediacenter/News/Pages/NewsDetails.aspx?ItemId=392

The Food Safety Code of Practice was launched on the MoPH website in three languages, namely Arabic, English and Hindi: https://www.moph.gov.qa/english/mediacenter/Publications/Pages/default.aspx#page-3

Link to Tweets: https://linkmix.co/5848891