Doha, Qatar: With summer temperatures remaining high across the country, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has urged the public to follow safe food preparation, storage and ordering practices to reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses.
In Qatar, where summer temperatures routinely exceed 40°C, proper refrigeration and handling of perishable foods become particularly important to reduce the risk of bacterial growth and food spoilage.
The ministry has shared guidelines to help the public safely prepare, store and order food during the summer months.
In a post on social media, MoPH outlined several key recommendations for preparing food safely. It advised the public to wash their hands thoroughly before handling food, keep raw and cooked foods separate to prevent cross-contamination, thaw frozen foods in the refrigerator rather than at room temperature, and avoid preparing food if experiencing symptoms such as vomiting or diarrhoea.
For safe food storage, the ministry recommended keeping refrigerated foods at 4°C or below and hot foods at 65°C or above. It also advised against leaving food unrefrigerated for more than two hours and warned the public not to refreeze foods that have already been thawed.
The ministry also urged consumers to order food only from licensed restaurants. Upon delivery, the public should ensure that hot food is delivered hot and cold food is delivered cold. The food should also be tightly sealed and wrapped to protect it from contamination.
MoPH also advised refrigerating leftovers promptly and reheating cooked food thoroughly before consumption.
