Staff Reporter
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| Participants at the session |
The suggestion by CMC Vice-Chairman Jassim al-Malki that a calorie list should be made mandatory for all restaurants and other food outlets was detailed into various recommendations involving different departments in the country for implementation. The Supreme Council of Health (SCH) was asked to issue a binding decision in this regard. Restaurants and fast food outlets should attach an index of the nutrition facts of each meal and dish they offer.
The council also recommended that all departments concerned with food safety should fall under one supervising entity. Related awareness campaigns have to be conducted regularly, especially for school students, even incorporating the issue into the school curriculum. Further, the council recommended the creation of a satellite TV channel that presents specialised programmes to instruct people on food safety.
The Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning (MMUP) should follow up and enforce the SCH decision when issued. In the meantime, the Supreme Education Council (SEC) was asked to tighten control on school canteens and ensure their compliance with the new regulation that would be adopted by SCH.
As Qatar used to be a pioneer in giving free healthy meals to school students, the CMC hoped that the practice would be resumed and applied to all Independent schools .
The CMC also passed some recommendations regarding tightening control on bakeries to ensure their compliance with the standards in bread size and weight. CMC member Sheikha al-Jufairi said some bakeries manipulated the size of bread, making it less than the standard type to avoid raising prices. The Consumer Protection Department was urged to conduct more inspections to enforce the standards. Other bakery products, such as cakes and sweets, were also asked to be dealt with in a similar manner.
The council has received various responses from different government departments to its recommendations. The CMC Secretary General Abdulaziz al-Ahmed affirmed that the council is gaining the respect of government entities and that they considered its recommendations seriously.
At its session yesterday, the council received responses from MMUP regarding the measures taken to address the issue of narrow streets and lack of parking lots in several key areas. Other responses pertained to the CMC request regarding the regulation of fishing licences, the use of treated sewage water for irrigation, and the development of the zoo.
A majority of the CMC members voted in favour of a suggestion to adopt a “vision and message” for the council prepared by Fatmah al-Kuwari, acting director of the department of studies and development at CMC.