The Joint Food Monitoring Committee at the Supreme Council of Health (SCH) has called on the public to report any violation of the law that makes it mandatory for bakeries and food outlets to use “food grade” plastic for packaging hot food and beverages. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the committee said that all the plastic wrappers must show the internationally approved logo of Food Grade (Fork and Cup) and a code for each company. Those signs and codes will facilitate the inspection process conducted by municipalities. The municipalities have circulated a list of the approved plastic companies and factories to all bakeries and food companies using plastic material for packaging food. Strict inspection procedures will be applied on all bakeries to ensure the packaging of Arabic and local bread in food grade bags which have the unified signs and codes, said the statement. The municipalities will conduct tests on plastic samples from the approved food companies twice a year to ensure their compliance with the health regulations. The committee has also urged all people to report immediately any violation to the municipalities concerned. The committee has set up a specialised team to study the approved plastic materials consistent with the scientific studies and adopted international standards. Samples of all locally used plastic packaging material have been sent to international labs to ensure their endurance to high temperatures in contact with food as well as its resistance to food acidity and fats without any impact on the safety of packaged food. The committee held a meeting with the representatives of the local manufacturers producing plastic packaging for food and also with bakeries’ owners. They discussed the approval of unified signs and codes for their products. A time limit has been given to all the food companies to accommodate their conditions and to provide the approved plastic material, said the statement. The committee has approved a number of local plastic companies according to the lab results which have proved its compliance with the health standards and food grade. Those companies have also been given dedicated codes along with certificate of compliance by the SCH. The Joint Food Monitoring Committee comprises representatives from the SCH, Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning, Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Business and Trade. The Peninsula

Follow us on our social media channels: @ILQlive @ILQlive @ILoveQtr ILoveQatar