Tribune News Network
Doha
The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) will mark World Food Safety Day today, June 7, under the theme ‘Food Standards Save Lives’. This year’s events will highlight the role of safe food in maintaining health and the calls for a range of specific actions to make food safer.
On this occasion, the MoPH will launch an extensive awareness campaign via media outlets, including dissemination of food safety awareness messages through social media and the website of the ministry, in addition to distributing leaflets and brochures related to food safety to food establishments. The MoPH building will be lit in orange to mark World Food Safety Day.
The MoPH will organize many important activities and events, most notably a ceremony to honour food establishments participating in the pilot phase of the Food Handlers License Program, in cooperation with the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The ministry is also participating in a training workshop organised by the Ministry of Social Development and Family for home businesses entitled ‘How to ensure the safety of our food products?’. Experts from the MoPH will organise a workshop entitled ‘Food Poisoning and Preventive Measures’ in collaboration with Qatar Energy Corporation for food companies that supply Qatar Energy.
Wassan Abdullah Al Baker, director of the Food Safety Department of the MoPH, said: “Celebrating World Food Safety Day contributes to raising awareness and supporting actions and plans to deliver safer and healthier food. This celebration represents an important opportunity to highlight the impact of unsafe food on health. According to the World Health Organization, there are more than 200 foodborne diseases, and statistics indicate that 600 million people around the world are exposed to foodborne diseases every year.”
During the celebration, the role of the MoPH in implementing the provisions of the Law Regulating Human Food Control will be highlighted, as well as its role in preparing relevant technical decisions and requirements. The ministry participates in the preparation, review and development of food standards and technical regulations, and the issuance of guidelines for food establishments and food handlers, such as the National Food Safety Code of Practice, to prevent the circulation of any food that does not conform to specifications and requirements, ensure the safety of food for human consumption, and call for actions to make food safer.
Through partnership with the private sector, the MoPH, in cooperation with various stakeholders, is participating in the preparation of specifications that contribute to raising the level of their commitment to food safety.
