Authorities have been carrying out a major inspection campaign throughout the year and supervising food outlets during major tournaments and events.
Qatari health and food safety officials carried out over 36 thousand inspections on food outlets and retail shops in the country, and recorded over 1500 violations across dozens of shops resulting in numerous fines and the closing down of 177 outlets.
Out of the 1,520 violations, 1,398 were resolved in reconciliation, according to an official statement.
Most of the inspections were of businesses in Doha and the Industrial Area, according to Doha Municipality’s Health Control Section. All violations were issued in line with Qatar’s law number 8 for 1990 on the regulation of human food control.
The inspections also included taking 1,763 food samples for laboratory testing to ensure their safety and compliance with the set health standards. Around 785 related complaints were received and dealt with, authorities added.
In addition to the inspections, food safety awareness was raised through briefings to staff at 2,763 outlets.
The department also said that enormous effort had been put into supervising food quality during major events including food festivals and sports tournaments.
Corniche’s Fish Market alone saw the examination of around 351 tonnes of fish by the ministry’s veterinarians, which lead to the destruction of 730kg for being ‘unfit for human consumption.’
