Parliament finally approves the food safety charter amidst reservations from some business circles

Al Akhbar published an article yesterday featuring the endorsement by parliament of food safety charter during the recent session held on November 12. This decision comes one year after the launch by Health Minister Wael Abu Faoor of a vigorous campaign to address the alarming food safety in the country. The newspaper explained that the major obstacle which resulted in the delay in passing the law were objections towards the strong mandate granted to the newly formed National Food Safety Committee which is primarily tied to the Prime Minister at that is at the expense of concerned ministries, notably from the ministry of industry. However, Al Akhbar went on to say that a compromise was reached that ensured coordination between the concerned ministries, while giving priority to the decisions taken by the aforementioned Committee. The approved law is based on the principle of food control ‘from the producer to the consumer’, and it covers the entire food processing and beverages industries, including mineral water, materials used in the manufacturing, processing and marketing of food, in addition to all agricultural products. In this respect, the newspaper noted, that with the exception of the Syndicate of Restaurants and Cafes, most of the food industry syndicates involved with food safety, were not consulted or presented with the text of the law. And despite the fact that those syndicates agree in principle with the charter in its general form, yet they have expressed some skepticism as to its implementation. (Al Akhbar, November 18, 2015)