Image used for representation.
Doha: Rumours which spread from time to time against some food items may be due to competition between companies and the lack of awareness among consumers, said a senior official at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment.
“There are many reasons behind the rumours against some food items, among these are competition among companies and lack of knowledge which makes people contribute to spreading them”, the senior official told The Peninsula.
“Also another reason is the current crisis and since the siege began we have heard a lot of such rumours not only on food items but other issues as well,” he added.
“Consumers have to know that the food items are controlled and there are many measures undertaken to ensure safety of these food items before they are sold. There are three ministries which are monitoring food, including the Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of Economy and Commerce and the Ministry of Municipality and Environment”, he noted.
“What we need today is an awareness and for people not believe any rumours because there are authorities concerned, and people can enquire anytime by calling 184 in case they have any doubt. People have to exert effort to confirm whether the rumours are true”, he clarified.
For his part, Mohammed Ahmed Buhashim Al Sayed, Head of Health Control Section at Doha Municipality, said that “Spreading rumours about some food items through social media and saying that they are unfit for human consumption may cause psychological trauma to consumers.”
“People have to take information only from official sources, and in case there is any warning about some food items the authorities concerned will announce it to people immediately”, he added during an interview on a local TV channel about the municipalities’ efforts on the monitoring of food and its role in refuting rumours issued against some food items on social media.
“We can’t blame consumers to be afraid whenever they hear such rumours because this is about food safety, about their health, but also consumers should not contribute to spreading them and must take information only from official sources,” he added
Al Sayed said: “The problem today is that production lines are very large and the rumours may refer to food items in another country and that they spread them as if they were in Qatar”.
