Fine, jail for selling expired or spoilt food
Anyone found dealing in expired food will face imprisonment for six months to one year or fines worth QR 7,000 to QR 15,000 or both, the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning has warned.
Recent amendments in the country’s food monitoring law also stipulate that those selling food that can harm human health face jail for one year to two years and fines worth QR 15,000 to QR 30,000 or both, Al Sharq reported, quoting a Ministry statement.
Anyone dealing in expired food or that which is not fit for human consumption will face two years to four years in jail and fines worth QR15,000 to QR30,000 or both, if the sold food had a harmful effect on someone’s health or if it led to chronic diseases.
The offender will face four years to eight years in jail and fines of QR 30,000 to QR 60,000 or both if the expired or spoilt food resulted in someone’s death, the daily said.
The Law (No. 4 of 2014) amending some provisions of Law No. 8 of 1990 on monitoring of food for human consumption has specified violations of the law as well as punishments.
Punishments will be imposed if it is confirmed that the contents, taste, colour, smell or expiry date of the food have been changed or if the food contained worms, insects, or germs or if it is prepared or stored in an improper manner.
The rules will also apply if the food is mixed with soil, or contained banned colours or preservatives that harms human health
According to the amendment, the Qatar Authority for Standards and Specifications at the Ministry of Environment has also been given the power to decide on closure of erring outlets. Earlier, this power was limited to departments at the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning and the Supreme Council of Health.
A sticker will be placed at the outlet saying that it (or the specific area of the outlet) has been closed for violating the food monitoring law, and the decision will be published on the website of the department that has taken the decision.
The amendments allow the authorities to close down an erring out for “not more than 60 days” straightway. Earlier, outlets were closed initially for one month, and the closure was extended to two months and then three months if the violation was repeated.
Source | Photo by Omar Chatriwala from QL Flickr Group
Oh the is one one company whose ingredients are mostly expired... Like meat that is over 1 year expired upon the date of expiration.. Hummus tahina that has been kept for months and months also overdue... And het people love their food lol!
@gimky, no one is exempted from inspection and from this law. I was a witness on how the authorities came and inspected one of the restaurants that you have mentioned. In restaurants, it is an unannounced inspection and believe me they cannot hide anything from them. In supermarkets, you will never notice them doing an inspection, they are just any typical customer filling their carts.
It will surely make a difference if you will inform the authorities any businesses who do not comply by calling their hotline.
KFC and Mc have the power , authorities dare to enter
Really? Does it exist? I mean that law? How come one restaurant company who is serving expired food, condiments and other food ingredients is still operating.
dhawood they are doing inspections for a while now, as well as they dedicated a hot line for complaints, I complaint once on Friday and they responded very quickly
Kfc is western so forget it
This is one of the reasons why I really like living here in Qatar, they impose strict laws to protect our health and well-being. Thank you.
It is good. the authority should form a team to sudden and frequent visits and inspection to hotels, Restaurants, cafeteria & Groceries.
and authority should take steps for the hygienic aspect for the small cafeterias and restaurants. I noticed several Medium and small range restaurants & cafeterias, the server cleans the tables and removes the used plates and stuffs, then immediately he will start to serve the next customer without washing his hands. it should be prevented and need more attention.but mean time few restaurants have a cleaning boy separately and it can be followed by others also - please share your views
which inspector in qatar fine the KFC who using 6 month old chicken