The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has organised a range of important activities and events to mark World Food Safety Day, marked annually on June 7, and this year under the slogan "Food Safety is Everyone’s Business”. This year’s event is held under the theme “Food Safety – Science in Action", highlighting the vital role that science plays in supporting policies and procedures designed to ensure food safety and protect consumer health.
To mark the occasion, MoPH launched an extensive awareness campaign across social media platforms, with the aim of raising public awareness about the importance of food safety and promoting correct practices that help prevent exposure to food-related risks. Wasan Abdulla al-Baker, director of the Food Safety Department, MoPH, stated, “Qatar continues its efforts to strengthen food safety, recognising its importance as a fundamental requirement of food security, as food is not considered food unless it is safe.”
She added that food safety plays a key role in limiting the spread of foodborne diseases. She emphasised that World Food Safety Day plays an active role in raising awareness among individuals and educating them on how to prevent these diseases. It also sheds light on the solutions and measures that can be adopted to ensure food safety from source to consumer.
Al-Baker explained that the Food Safety Department at the Ministry has made significant progress in adopting a science-based approach as a cornerstone for strengthening the national food safety system. Among these achievements are capacity building in risk assessment and the implementation of related activities, which have enabled the department to respond effectively to food incidents and take the necessary actions.
The department has also established an internal scientific research team responsible for setting priorities for food safety research, directly supervising the completion of related studies in line with the ministry’s vision and objectives. In addition, the department has consistently supported and developed its laboratory services by continuously expanding the scope of accredited analytical methods at the Ministry’s Food Safety Laboratories.
As part of the World Food Safety Day activities, the ministry organised a workshop entitled 'The Role of Science in Supporting Food Safety Regulatory Decisions', held at the Itqan Clinical Simulation and Innovation at Hamad Bin Khalifa Medical City. The workshop covered several key topics, including the importance of relying on scientific data and credible evidence when formulating policies and making decisions related to food safety and consumer protection, as well as the exchange of experiences and expertise among the relevant parties.
Key topics included 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, with an overview of research and innovations at Qatar University.
In addition, the Ministry, in collaboration with the Shafallah Centre for Persons with Disabilities, organised a children's drawing competition for Shafallah students on the theme of food safety. The children’s artwork was displayed at the World Food Safety Day exhibition. The top three prizes were awarded to Ali Hakim Wali, Ghaith Mohammed Khair and Hamza Mustafa.
Representatives from the ministry also delivered a bilingual lecture in Arabic and English for Shafallah Centre staff, covering the principles of food safety and ways to prevent foodborne diseases. Furthermore, the World Food Safety Day celebrations included an educational event for children aged 3 to 12 at Qatar Mall with the aim of building a culture of food safety in the community. The event featured educational games, drawing and colouring activities, interactive microscope demonstrations and the distribution of symbolic gifts to children to emphasise the importance of food safety.
