Representational photo
Doha, Qatar: Several municipalities have announced that they have stepped up their readiness for the holy month of Ramadan through conducting surveillance inspections on food enterprises nationwide.
As such, Doha Municipality steps up its surveillance plan on all food and health enterprises by carrying out almost 10,000 inspection rounds during this Ramadan and taking 298 food samples to be analysed in the government laboratory, as well as taking legal action against violators, alongside intensifying awareness efforts and dealing immediately with complaints.
Director of the Control Department at Doha Municipality, Hamad Sultan Al Shahwani, asserted that an overall health surveillance plan has been devised for Ramadan to ensure heightened enforcement of laws and regulations, foremost of which is the Minister’s Decision No. (8) of 1990, on regulating human food surveillance.
Director of the Municipal Control Department in Al Shahaniya Municipality, Majed Burhan Al Zaidan, clarified to QNA that all surveillance teams are operating for one objective: to provide safe food throughout the whole year by stepping up inspections during Ramadan, including all food enterprises with their various activities, with a sharp focus on the activities that are mostly in demand during the month.
Umm Salal Municipality prepared an inspection plan, including intensified daily surveillance inspections, sampling and laboratory testing, monitoring of cold chain, storage, and transportation, implementation of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and HACCP systems, regulatory enforcement actions under approved standards, and public education and outreach programs for workers and consumers.
Al Daayen Municipality plan relies on two phases. The first is a pre-Ramadan preparatory phase, including preemptive inspections of food establishments and inventory of temporary food licenses and Ramadan tents.
This is followed by intensified daily inspections during the holy month, monitoring of Ramadan tents, sampling and laboratory testing, and immediate regulatory enforcement actions against violators.
In Al Wakrah Municipality, the plan includes morning and evening inspections covering health, technical, and general oversight, with intensified inspections of food establishments, butcheries, fish markets, and live‑poultry vendors.
For Al Khor and Al Dhakira Municipality, the plan focuses on ongoing field inspection tasks and veterinary oversight to ensure the safety of slaughter and fish products, dividing food establishments into surveillance zones, carrying out sampling and testing from major producers, restaurants, and butcheries, and using electronic inspection documentation systems to record violations and expedite enforcement.
Al Shamal Municipality emphasises intensive inspection campaigns before and during Ramadan, coordinating with slaughterhouses to ensure readiness, extending work hours, maintaining continuous presence of food safety inspectors, conducting sampling and laboratory testing, and assigning inspectors to provide immediate complaint responses.
