Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has carried out an extensive inspection campaign that included a number of restaurants, cafes, and locations designated by companies to provide food to workers at their residences in the industrial area.
The campaign aimed to ensure compliance with health standards and requirements for food handling, enhance food safety, and protect consumer health in the State of Qatar.
As a result of the inspections, the MoPH identified several establishments that required corrective actions to improve compliance with health regulations.
During the campaign, which took place from June to October 2025, 479 food establishments, including restaurants and cafeterias, were inspected. Additionally, 191 sites designated by companies for preparing and serving food in residential accommodations, covering approximately 95,000 workers in the industrial area, were included.
Each food preparation establishment and site underwent at least three inspection visits to monitor the corrective actions taken and raise the compliance level.
A total of 1813 food samples, including 1239 samples from restaurants and cafeterias, and 573 samples from workers' housing sites, were collected and analysed in the food safety laboratories of the Ministry of Public Health, where the results showed that all samples conformed to health requirements.
Inspectors from the Food Safety Department at the Ministry of Public Health carried out more than 1,650 inspection visits to cafeterias and restaurants. These inspections led to significant performance improvements. Over 82% of establishments progressed at least one level in the classification from the first inspection visit.
Statistics from the electronic food safety system "WATHEQ" showed that 44% of sites allocated by companies to prepare and serve food to workers in their residential areas received an "excellent" rating.
In total, 85% of these sites received a ranking of "medium" or above, showing improvement compared to their results during the first inspection visit.
The Ministry of Public Health is working to complete the remaining workers' housing, restaurants, and cafeterias, increase inspection visits, and organise training workshops for food handlers to enhance awareness of health and hygiene requirements.
The Food Safety Department at the Ministry of Public Health continues to implement the Food Safety Rating Programme, as part of the Ministry's strategy to protect public health, through continuous cooperation between the concerned authorities and the owners of food establishments, which is a key pillar to achieve an advanced and sustainable food system that achieves the best food safety standards.
