Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Public Health intensified its monitoring efforts during the Qatar International Food Festival 2026, which recently concluded. This initiative formed part of the Ministry’s ongoing commitment to protecting public health and enhancing food safety at major events and large gatherings, in coordination with Qatar Tourism and the festival’s organizers.
Prior to the launch of the festival, the Ministry of Public Health developed a comprehensive regulatory plan that included assessing the level of compliance among local restaurants participating in the event. In addition, specialised training support was provided to international restaurants through the implementation of an intensive two day training programme ahead of the festival, aimed at raising awareness of food safety principles and the requirements for storage, preparation, and presentation.
In this context, Wasan Abdullah Al Baker, Director of the Food Safety Department at the Ministry of Public Health, stated: “These intensive regulatory efforts reflect the Ministry’s commitment to ensuring the highest standards of food safety during major events. This is achieved through a risk-based approach that integrates field inspections with awareness raising and pre-event training, thereby contributing to the protection of visitors’ health and strengthening their confidence in the services provided in the State of Qatar.”
A team of 14 inspectors from the Ministry of Public Health’s Food Safety Department monitored food safety practices throughout the festival, including weekends and all operating hours. Inspection rounds were intensified during peak periods and times of high visitor turnout. The inspection teams applied the provisions of the risk-based inspection checklist to ensure greater compliance with health requirements and to raise the level of safety of food served to visitors, particularly in light of the large public attendance at the festival.
The inspection covered all points of sale at the festival site, amounting to 220 kiosks, including 46 international restaurants. In addition, daily morning follow ups were conducted at the central preparation units (CPUs) supplying the restaurants to ensure proper health practices were applied across all stages of preparation, including transportation.
The Food Safety Department teams carried out 800 inspection visits during the festival, during which 1,335 food product samples were collected and tested at the Ministry of Public Health’s Food Safety Laboratories to verify their safety and compliance with requirements.
It is noteworthy that, upon reviewing the recorded violations, the Food Safety Department confirmed that most were low risk and did not pose a threat to public health as they were related to the temporary structures of the kiosks and the limited working spaces. These were addressed immediately through the required corrective measures. Operators demonstrated a high level of commitment and compliance with the recommendations of inspectors and supervisors.
