Food safety a priority – The Peninsula

Food safety a priority – The Peninsula

As nations strive toward sustainable human development, it is pertinent to note the significance of food safety as a critical determinant of human health and simultaneously a vital contributor to food security. For Qatar, building a robust food security strategy relies heavily on functioning and efficient food safety measures.

Also, policies toward reducing food waste have been key to the further development of the food sector and are linked to food safety practices. Food monitoring plays a critical role in quality assurance and observance of standards for the import, production, processing, preparation, and disposal of food products. To achieve this, Qatar has optimized and simplified the governance of food standards to monitor food safety in the country effectively and to supervise quality certification.

Yesterday, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) inaugurated the electronic food safety system “Watheq.” Inaugurated by the Minister of Public Health H E Dr. Hanan Mohammed Al Kuwari, the electronic system is a food control process based on standard operating procedures subject to international accreditation controls (ISO 17020) through three electronically linked systems. These include controlling imported and exported food, food in the local market, and the electronic management of food analysis laboratories.

According to the minister, the system enhances