Doha, Qatar: Under the auspices of the Minister of Municipality HE Abdullah bin Hamad bin Abdullah Al Attiyah and the Minister of Public Health HE Mansoor bin Ebrahim Al Mahmoud, the first National Conference on Food Safety 2025 kicked off in Doha on Monday.
Organized by the two ministries, the two-day event is attended by a host of Their Excellences the ministers, heads of government authorities, high-ranking officials, decision-makers, alongside experts in the areas of health and food safety.
The opening ceremony featured the screening of a documentary film that pitched the key efforts energized by the State of Qatar in the fields of food safety and protection of public health, followed by the inauguration of the conference by HE the Minister of Municipality.
This convention is part of the State of Qatar's efforts to strengthen the food safety system as one of the core pillars of Qatar National Vision 2030, aimed at achieving sustainability and ensuring food security through balancing economic growth, human development, and environmental protection.
The conference highlights a whole-of-government approach among the institutions to keep up with the prudent leadership's aspirations toward a secure and enduring food future, positioning itself as a strategic platform to share expertise and showcase best practices, in addition to weighing in on state-of-the-art legislation, regulatory oversight, technologies, and community outreach related to food safety.
Also, the event features the launch of creative initiatives in regulatory oversight and technology, in addition to providing the opportunity for forging domestic and international partnerships that contribute to achieving food security objectives.
Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the National Conference on Food Safety and Director-General of Al Wakrah Municipality, Jaber Hassan Al Jaber, said convening this debut conference in partnership between the two ministries is the epitome of the foremost attention the State of Qatar gives to food security under the prudent leadership, in addition to building a credible food system that sharply focuses on human health and future generations.
The health oversight agencies in municipalities conducted a total of 212,882 inspection rounds throughout 2025, resulting in 1,442 violations that were settled through conciliation, along with the administrative closure of 81 non-compliant food establishments. Additionally, 188,708 animals were subjected to veterinary inspection at abattoirs, highlighted Al Jaber.
These figures, he said, reflect the nation's commitment to enforcing the highest oversight and inspection standards, thereby promoting trust in the food security system.
He reviewed the Ministry of Municipality's key initiatives as part of its strategy for 2024-2030, including the Unified Electronic Inspection Project, which covers 20 inspection types augmented with full automation for surveillance measures, such as issuance of infractions and 24/7 electronic payment, as part of the comprehensive digital transformation initiative.
The conference underscores the strong emphasis on food safety on the part of the prudent leadership, because this would have an instrumental role in protecting public health, said Vice Chairman of the Conference Preparation Committee and Assistant Director of the Food Safety Department at MoPH Khalid Yousuf Al Sulaiti.
Al Sulaiti added that the event is a good opportunity to discuss the efforts aimed at advancing the legislative and executive system in the area of food safety, alongside the consequential milestones, including the Ministry of Public Health's launch of the electronic system "Watheq", the first-of-its-kind in the region as an integrated system for food surveillance based on internationally recognized standard operating procedures (ISO).
Since the launch of this system, the ministry has recorded and adopted a total of 11,386 food establishments and 153,641 food products that were subjected to inspection, with over 202,000 electronic services executed. Overall, 1.7 million tons of imported food underwent rigorous examination, of which over 10.6 million kilograms were rejected for failing to meet prescribed standards, Al Sulaiti pointed out.
He added that 16,000-plus samples were collected and subjected to approximately 82,000 laboratory analyses, reflecting the nation's commitment to enforcing the highest standards of regulation and inspection and bolstering confidence in the food security system.
Al Sulaiti averred that the State of Qatar has been pre-eminent in terms of bolstering food safety on the regional and global stages through its active engagement in joint Gulf and Arab action, along with its contributions in preparing unified documents and standards, in addition to its partnerships with international organizations, such as WHO and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
This leading role, he stressed, is a testament to the State of Qatar's commitment to the principles of Qatar National Vision 2030, especially when it comes to sustainability and strengthening the nation's stature on the regional and global stages as a model in building safe and smart food systems.
