Health & Life Magazine April 2017

“The ministry is working on a plan to
respond in case of a food poisoning
incident or outbreak in the country. It also
plans to propose new laws to the cabinet
related to public health and food safety
in the coming two years. We’re aiming
for zero tolerance for deaths from food
poisoning and want to reduce the number
of these incidences. We have a strong
food-monitoring system in restaurants,
shops and labor camps. As we prepare for
the 2022 World Cup, when many people
will be visiting, it is even more critical that
food standards are high.” said Dr. Sheikh
Food Poisoning in Qatar
According to the Ministry of Public Health, Qatar has the lowest incidence of food poisoning
in the region, with only 50 cases reported last year. The majority of these cases were due to
inappropriate food storage and bad practice by restaurants and food handlers.
Mohammed Al Thani.
An estimated 660 million cases of food
poisoning are reported globally every
year, 420 of these result in death. Among
the deaths, one third are children below
the age of five years. “We have laws and
a strong monitoring system to make sure
that food coming to Qatar is safe. But
what we see is that 99 percent of cases
of food poisoning happen not because
of the standards of imported food but
due to incorrect methods of storage or
processing by restaurant employees and
food handlers,” said Dr Al Thani.
21
APRIL 2017
“One of our priorities for 2017 is food
safety. We are working together with
municipalities to increase awareness
among food handlers as well as the
public,” said Dr. Al Rumaihi. “Although
municipalities do their routine inspections
at food outlets, restaurants and labor
camps, we have a special joint team that
responds immediately to any complaint
or incident. Food safety teams go to the
premises, collect samples and send them to
the central food laboratory for analysis. In
case of a food violation, the law allows us to
close the restaurant.”