Doha, February 15 (QNA) - Several municipalities announced that they have stepped up their readiness for the holy month of Ramadan through conducting surveillance inspections on food enterprises nationwide.
They confirmed that the objective is to ensure food safety and protect the well-being of both citizens and residents, as well as keep up with the tremendous increases in consumption during this holy month by ramping up inspections on all food and service facilities, including restaurants, kitchens, butcheries, shopping centers, and markets, in addition to Ramadan tents and recreational areas, to ensure the provision of safe and healthy food for those who are fasting.
The inspections are part of the strategy to enhance field readiness for municipalities and augment the efficiency of inspection teams while constantly receiving complaints from the public and handling them accordingly through operating around the clock, in addition to conducting awareness programs for operators and consumers to strengthen adherence to hygienic criteria throughout Ramadan, the Ministry of Municipality has underlined.
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 analyzed 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.
Emergency and complaint task forces are operating around the clock to receive tips and handle them, as well as take corrective and legal measures instantly against violators, as misdemeanors are punishable by administrative shutdown from one day to two months based on the type of regulatory offense and the hazard level of the infraction, Al Shahwani told Qatar News Agency (QNA).
Al Shahwani further noted that Doha Municipality is conducting awareness programs for facility owners, workers, and consumers through field workshops and distributing educational brochures in both Arabic and English, in addition to organizing awareness events in tandem with commercial associations, which matter most when it comes to enhancing food safety and protecting public health during this holy month.
For its part, Al Shahaniya Municipality is conducting a combined surveillance plan, including ramping up regulatory and surprise tours to food facilities and Ramadan tents for those fasting, and increasing the number of veterinarians in the Al Shahaniya slaughterhouse, collecting 30 to 40 samples daily and analyzing them in the central laboratory, in addition to intensifying awareness campaigns and receiving complaints 24/7.
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.
He noted that during the holy month, inspections are divided into three phases: during the first ten days, the focus is on hypermarkets and frying shops; in the middle ten days, coinciding with preparations for the Garangao night, inspections are intensified at confectionery and chocolate shops, and during the final ten days, the focus shifts to bakeries, fruit shops, and traditional kitchens in preparation for Eid Al-Fitr.
The municipality will staff the local and mechanized slaughterhouses with an increased number of Public Health Veterinarians, extend working hours, and ensure compliance inspections, sampling, and laboratory testing to guarantee meat safety and meet the needs of citizens throughout the holy month, Al Zaidan underlined.
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.
The plan covers supervision of the central fish market, monitoring the cleanliness of fish stalls, cleaning areas, and the auction hall, inspection of fish transport and distribution vehicles, and conducting guidance workshops for employees and transport companies.
It also implements an expanded sampling and laboratory analysis program at the central laboratory to ensure compliance with standard specifications.
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. It also strengthens monitoring of Ramadan tents and confectionery and nut shops during the season and establishes dedicated teams for 24/7 consumer complaint response through official reporting systems.
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.
Under its plan, Al Shamal Municipality emphasizes 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.
In Al Rayyan Municipality, inspectors are deployed in morning and evening inspection shifts up to late night, enhancing oversight of the central market and high‑demand food establishments, and conducting ongoing food safety education and outreach programs to ensure safe and healthy food reaches consumers.
The Ministry of Municipality reaffirms its full commitment to implementing these plans according to the highest professional standards, enhancing coordination among municipalities to safeguard food safety and public health, and provide a secure and healthy environment for those fasting and consumers throughout the holy month of Ramadan. (QNA)