(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
Fazeena Saleem
|
The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: In 2024, the Food Safety Department, part of the Ministry of Public health (MoPH), ramped up efforts to ensure food safety across the country, highlighting a year of rigorous inspections, innovative use of technology, and proactive public health responses.
The Ministry released statistics yesterday highlighting its continued efforts to guarantee food safety for imported goods and local establishments.
One of the most significant initiatives has been the heightened scrutiny of food imports at key entry points, including Hamad International Airport, Hamad Port, Al Ruwais Port, and the Abu Samra land border.
In total, over 118,000 shipments were inspected to ensure compliance with strict safety standards and technical requirements. While the majority of imported food met the necessary criteria - a total of over 2.3 billion kg - a concerning 3,252 metric tonnes of non-compliant food was destroyed to protect consumers from potential harm.
The number of shipments inspected in the second half of the year more than doubled compared to the 60,520 shipments inspected in the first half.
Additionally, the department handled the inspection of 1,085 re-exported food shipments, issued 735 export or re-export certificates, and processed 219 food destruction certificates, ensuring that only safe and compliant products were allowed to enter or leave the country.
The Food Safety Department also took proactive steps to monitor local food establishments. Over the year, it conducted 11,721 inspections across restaurants, hotels, supermarkets, food factories, and other food-related businesses. The numbers increased more than threefold compared to the first six months of 2024, rising from 3,221. In line with its commitment to public health, the department reviewed and followed up on 1,355 registration and operational details for local food establishments, registered 2,479 food handlers, and issued 7,014 permits for food handlers, emphasising the importance of qualified personnel in the food industry in 2024.
The Food Safety Department's Laboratories Section played a crucial role by analyzing 14,533 samples from imported food items and 11,505 samples from local food establishments. This analysis helped maintain high food safety standards across the nation.
The department also remained responsive to public concerns, addressing 636 complaints received through the unified call center number (16000) related to food safety issues. Additionally, it approved 38,289 food items and registered 5,050 food establishments through Watheq, the electronic food safety system, streamlining the process of monitoring food safety in Qatar.
In total, through the Watheq system, 107 re-inspections of food items were carried out, 1,348 destruction requests were processed, and 5,949 requests for the final release of food items were managed, further contributing to the safety and quality of food supply.
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