Qatar Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has conducted a range of activities and events to mark the World Food Safety Day, revolving around the theme ‘Food Safety — Science in Action.’
This year’s event stresses the role of science in shaping food safety policies and protecting public health, while strengthening global efforts to tackle foodborne illnesses and foster shared responsibility from farm to fork.
As part of the occasion, MoPH introduced an extensive awareness campaign across social media platforms, aimed at increasing public awareness on the importance of food safety and encouraging correct practices to reduce food-related risks.
Wasan Abdulla Al Baker, Director of the Food Safety Department at MoPH, commented that, “The State of Qatar continues its efforts to strengthen food safety, recognizing its importance as a fundamental requirement of food security, as food is not considered food unless it is safe.”
The director highlighted the key role of food safety in reducing the spread of foodborne diseases. World Food Safety Day raises awareness among people on preventing foodborne diseases, while highlighting measures to be adopted to ensure safety from source to consumer. Al Baker also stated that the Food Safety Department at the MoPH has adopted a science-based approach to reinforce the national food safety system.
An internal scientific research team has also been established, responsible for setting priorities for food safety research, directly supervising the completion of related studies in line with the Ministry’s vision and objectives.
The department has also consistently supported and enhanced its laboratory services by continuously expanding the scope of accredited analytical methods at the Ministry’s Food Safety Laboratories.
The Ministry conducted a workshop titled ‘The Role of Science in Supporting Food Safety Regulatory Decisions’, held at the Itqan Clinical Simulation and Innovation at Hamad Bin Khalifa Medical City (HBKMC).
The workshop revolved around several key topics such as Qatar’s scientific framework for ensuring the accuracy and consistency of food analyses to support evidence-based decision making, global research trends in food safety, and science-based decision making for safer food. In addition, the workshop featured a presentation on the role of science as a driver for transforming the food system.
Furthermore, the workshop highlighted the role of surveillance systems in the early detection of foodborne disease outbreaks and reviewed MoPH’s experience in managing food incidents and emergencies.
As part of the occasion, the Ministry has also organized a children’s drawing competition for Shafallah students under the theme of food safety, in collaboration with the Shafallah Centre for Persons with Disabilities.
The children’s artworks were then showcased at the World Food Safety Day exhibition. Representatives from the Ministry also presented a bilingual lecture in Arabic and English for Shafallah Centre staff, covering the principles of food safety and measures to prevent foodborne diseases.
To mark World Food Safety Day, MoPH also conducted an educational event for children aged 3 to 12 years at Qatar Mall, aimed at cultivating a culture of food safety in the community. The event included educational games, drawing and coloring activities, interactive microscope demonstrations and the distribution of symbolic gifts to children to highlight the importance of food safety.
