14 violations detected in crackdown on butcher shops

The Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC) has launched a campaign wherein unannounced inspections are carried out at butcher shops across Qatar to ensure the compliance of suppliers - retail outlets - with Law No. 8 of 2008 on consumer protection.
Targeting 134 butcher shops, the campaign has so far resulted in 14 fines for various types of violations, the MEC said in a statement yesterday.
These include selling expired meat, failing to announce product prices and using inaccurate product labels in violation of Article 8 of Law No. 8 of 2008 on consumer protection.
Article 8 stipulates that “suppliers shall display the price of any product on sale either on the product itself or in a prominent place”, while Article 6 prohibits the sale, display or promotion of fraudulent or corrupt products. A product is considered fraudulent if it is expired or fails to meet standards.
Violations of the consumer protection law result in penalties such as administrative closures and fines ranging from QR3,000 to QR1mn, the statement notes.
The inspection campaigns come within the framework of the ministry’s latest initiatives ahead of the holy month of Ramadan under the theme “#Aqal_Min_Al_Wajeb”, Arabic for “#the_least_we_can _do”.
The MEC traditionally intensifies its inspection campaigns ahead of and throughout the holy month to monitor markets and commercial activity in a bid to crack down on price manipulation and protect consumer rights, the statement notes.
The ministry has stressed that it will not tolerate any violations of the consumer protection law and its regulations, and will intensify its inspection campaigns to crack down on violations. The ministry will refer those who violate laws and ministerial decrees to the competent authorities, who will in turn take appropriate action against the perpetrators in order to protect consumer rights.
The ministry has urged consumers to report violations to the Consumer Protection and Anti-Commercial Fraud department through the call centre (16001), e-mail ([email protected]), Twitter (MEC_QATAR), Instagram (MEC_QATAR) and the MEC application for iPhone and Android devices (MEC_QATAR).