Minister of Municipality H E Abdullah bin Hamad bin Abdullah Al Attiyah inaugurated the conference in the presence of Their Excellencies Ministers and other dignitaries.
Doha, Qatar: The National Food Safety Conference 2025 has opened in Doha, bringing together policymakers, experts, and industry leaders to exchange expertise, showcase best practices, and debate the latest legislation and technologies in food safety.
The two-day event also aims to launch innovative initiatives and build national and international partnerships to strengthen Qatar’s food security goals. The event was jointly organised by the Ministry of Municipality and the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) at Raffles Doha. Minister of Municipality H E Abdullah bin Hamad bin Abdullah Al Attiyah inaugurated the conference. The opening ceremony was attended by several Ministers, heads of government bodies, senior officials, decision-makers, and leading experts in health and food safety.
The conference comes as part of Qatar’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its food safety system, a cornerstone of Qatar National Vision 2030, which emphasises sustainability, food security, and the balance between economic growth, human development, and environmental protection.
It underscores institutional cooperation in line with the country’s leadership’s vision for a safe and sustainable food future, enhancing quality of life and raising public health standards.
The conference serves as a strategic platform for exchanging expertise.
It is showcasing best practices, and discussing the latest legislation, inspection systems, technologies, and public awareness initiatives in food safety. It also opens the door to innovative initiatives, technological solutions, and opportunities for both national and international partnerships to support food security goals.
Chairman of the Conference Organizing Committee and Director General of Al Wakrah Municipality Jaber Hassan Al Jaber emphasised that this first-ever joint conference between the Ministry of Municipality and MoPH reflects the great attention Qatar places on food safety.
“Food safety is not just about systems and procedures — it is a culture and a shared responsibility that begins at the farm and factory and extends to the market and the consumer. It is a key pillar for building prosperous communities, a strong economy, and a sustainable environment,” Al Jaber said.
He highlighted the daily efforts of municipal health inspectors, noting that in 2025, Qatar carried out 212,882 inspection visits, resulting in 1,442 violations settled amicably, and the administrative closure of 81 non-compliant food establishments.
Additionally, 188,708 animals were inspected at abattoirs. These figures, he said, reflect Qatar’s commitment to applying the highest standards of inspection and preventive control to strengthen trust in the national food safety system.
Al Jaber also outlined the Ministry of Municipality’s 2024–2030 strategy, which focuses on smart, proactive municipal services through advanced technologies and artificial intelligence. Key projects include the Unified Electronic Inspection System, covering 20 types of inspections — including health inspections — with fully automated procedures, electronic violation issuance, and round-the-clock digital payment services.
From MoPH, Khalid Youssef Al Sulaiti, Deputy Chairman of the Conference Organizing Committee and Assistant Director of the Food Safety Department, described the conference as an important national initiative that demonstrates Qatar’s commitment to protecting the health of its population from food-related risks.
He highlighted recent progress, including the draft of a new Food Law and the proposed establishment of a General Authority for Food Safety.
He also pointed to the launch of “Wathiq,” Qatar’s pioneering electronic food safety system — the first of its kind in the region — built on internationally accredited ISO standards. The system ensures effective control of food safety across domestic, imported, and laboratory testing operations.
Since its launch, “Wathiq” has registered 11,386 food establishments and 153,641 food products, and provided more than 202,000 e-services. In 2025 alone, the Ministry inspected 1.776 billion kg of imported food, rejecting 10.6 million kg for non-compliance, which were either destroyed or re-exported. More than 16,000 food samples underwent nearly 82,000 laboratory tests, alongside daily inspections of local markets.
