The director of Doha Municipality has ordered the closure of four food establishments for selling items unfit for human consumption, local Arabic daily Arrayah has reported.

Three establishments would be closed for periods ranging between seven and 15 days. These are a grocery in Najma, a restaurant in Umm Ghuwalina and a banquet kitchen in Old Al Ghanim, the report states.

Besides, part of a store at a hotel in Old Salata has been closed for 45 days. The names of these food establishments can be found on the ministry’s website, the daily adds.

Meanwhile, the health control section at Al Rayyan Municipality has issued six seizure records for violation of Law No 3 of 1975, three records for selling expired materials and ten records for re-inspection, according to the report.

In a related development, citizens and residents have called for steps to intensify monitoring campaigns at restaurants across Qatar to ascertain what is going on in their kitchens and storerooms as well as their packing methods, local Arabic daily Al Arab has reported.

They have suggested that the number of inspection teams and field tours by them be increased in order to protect consumers, who are at times wary of having meals prepared in restaurants in view of cases of food poisoning, according to the report.

Citizens have also stressed the importance of declaring the names of erring restaurants and shops in order to prevent violations of health and safety norms, the report adds.

Meanwhile, some citizens are of the view that the municipality’s job is not to monitor the ways in which meals are prepared in restaurants but to highlight and ensure compliance with health and safety regulations while issuing licences to restaurants, the report further states.