The trend was banned in several Gulf countries after vigorous social media backlash.
Coffee shops and restaurants have been banned from serving coffee in baby bottles after images of the trend circulated on social media across the region.
Qatar’s Ministry of Commerce took action against the latest fad on Tuesday, urging all coffee shops and restaurants to adhere to proper laws and regulations to avoid legal action.
“It was recently noticed that some coffee shops and restaurants in some advertisements have been serving drinks in inappropriate bottles that do not align with culture and traditions [like baby bottles],” the notice, tweeted by the ministry, read.
“The ministry stresses the importance of abiding by laws and regulations related to the matter,” it added.
تهيب وزارة #التجارة_والصناعة بضرورة التزام جميع المقاهي والمطاعم باللوائح والقوانين ذات الصلة. pic.twitter.com/DTKYkm5Sjm
— وزارة التجارة والصناعة (@MOCIQatar) March 9, 2021
Earlier this month, coffee shops in several countries around the region began serving coffee and other drinks in bottles meant for feeding babies.
After images began circulating online, critics called on authorities to take action against the trend, deeming it “inappropriate” to culture and traditions.
Read also: Qatar business steps in with special offers to promote vaccination drive.
Members of the community were shocked to see the trend reach Qatar after Lusail-based coffee shop “Mood” began serving the baby bottle coffee on their menu.
“Some shops want to increase sales income by creating new ideas, even if it goes against traditions or people’s habits in the country. Of course, teenagers are curious about everything new and love photography, regardless of the content, taste, or quality,” one tweet read.
Other critics around the region also made fun of the recent trend.
Similarly, the backlash pushed a number of Gulf countries, including Oman, Kuwait and United Arab Emirates, to ban the trend and warned shops, cafes and restaurants not to serve drinks in feeding bottles because it’s culturally inappropriate.
“This practice violates proper commercial principles and flouts Bahraini customs and traditions,” the kingdom’s ministry said.
Meanwhile, Emirati authorities took swift action against all coffee-shops that jumped on the hype, issuing a ban against the practice and shutting the coffee-shops down for going “against local customs and the precautionary measures in place against Covid-19.”
The decision came after customers allegedly started bringing their own bottles to cafes to fill them up, pushing authorities to investigate and prohibit the odd trend.
“Such indiscriminate use of baby bottles is not only against local culture and traditions but mishandling of the bottle during the filling could also contribute to the spread of Covid-19,” said Dubai Economy in a statement.
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