Food safety departments and laws in Qatar[edit]

Food safety control plays a critical role in quality assurance and observance of standards for
importing, producing, processing, preparing, and disposing of food products. Food safety control is
particularly necessary given that approximately 90% of food in Qatar is imported and due to the
increasing pressure on food inspection services and port authorities the ministry of public health and
the ministry of municipality and environment work on continually regulating food safety, managing,
and controlling the potential risk of foodborne disease outbreaks and promoting public awareness.[9]
These departments work on achieving the following goals:

 Promoting public awareness of nutritional and health risks from consuming unsafe foods.
 Strengthening the capabilities of the food safety management system to provide services that
conform to international best practices in all important functional areas, such as inspection
services, laboratory services, risk analysis, and setting standards for oversight, supervision, and
regulation.
 Creating an integrated food safety device whose work is in line with international best practice
standards for food safety management throughout the food supply chain, "from farm to
consumer".
 Creating an integrated risk-based inspection service that is in line with relevant international
standards, such as ISO / IEC 17020: 2012 specifications for imported, home-made and exported
food products, backed by modern electronic management systems, effective diagnostic
services, and control and supervision systems.
 Promoting a culture of food safety among all parties involved in the food supply chain through
the implementation of effective public-private partnership programs, aimed at enhancing
awareness of the need to take responsibility for managing food risks.
The Food Safety Department plays an effective role in implementing the health policy in all food
safety-related matters and carries out the powers entrusted to the Ministry of Public Health under
Law No. 8 of 1990 regarding regulating the human food control. The Department conducts food
control and inspection, in places where food is being handled and food traders to ensure its safety
and validity. It also prohibits handling any food that does not meet the specifications and
requirements in cooperation with competent authorities. In addition, it responds to emergency cases
related to food safety and validity in partnership with more than one entity, manages and operates
laboratories to examine and analyze food samples.[9]