The Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning (MMUP) will post on its website from April 25 the names of eateries closed for health and hygiene violations.

According to new standards, food items are declared unfit for human consumption when laboratory tests prove a change in its qualities such as taste, appearance and smell or at the date of expiry or if the packages contain worms, insects or foreign bodies.

The new standards also indicated that food can be deemed bad if contaminated by radioactive materials, microbes, insecticides or from contact with human beings or animals that suffer from
contagious diseases.

The inspectors of the MMUP and Supreme Council of Health (SCH) and Qatar General Organisation for Standards and Metrology have jurisdiction to take closure decisions not exceeding 60 days against food outlets violating rules.

The closure decision will be posted at the food outlet concerned, indicating it has been closed for a certain period for violations of the relevant laws. The notice will be also published on the website of the
issuing entity.

However, a petition with the supporting document could be submitted to the Minister of Municipality and Urban Planning, the Minister of Public Health or the Minister of Municipality within 10 days of the closure decision. If no reply or answer is given within 10 days of submitting such petition it is then deemed rejected and the closure decision would be final.

The penalty for selling rotten food is six month to one year in jail and a fine of QR7,000 to 15,000 or any of them. The penalty for selling food harmful to human health is one to two years in jail and a fine of QR30,000 to 50,000 or any of them. Besides, the law stipulates stricter penalties for other specific violations and crimes related to food
industry.