Food consumption survey to assess implementation

The Supreme Council of Health (SCH) will conduct a national food consumption survey to assess the implementation of the Qatar Dietary Guidelines released yesterday. According to Sheikha Dr al-Anoud al-Thani, manager of health promotion and non-communicable diseases at SCH, the implementation of the dietary guidelines included several steps.She said, “The implementation will be followed by monitoring and evaluation plan. It will assess the implementation of the guidelines in Qatar. It will also look into health and nutrition indicators as well as the effect of the guidelines on food consumption through a national food consumption survey. “There will be a communication message calendar, training of healthcare and academic professionals, developing tools and resources as well as partnerships with other organisations.”The official stressed that the new guidelines will have several uses and will form the nutrition and food policy. “The guidelines will be used in marketing of foods and beverages, breastfeeding, nutrition labelling, school meals or snacks guidelines, imports, rations, workplace wellness as well as food industry.”Dr Tawfiq bin Ahmed Khoja, director general, Health Minister’s Council for GCC, said, “We need to raise the benchmark in people’s awareness. Qatar is taking the lead among the countries in the region in many ways in this regard. We need co-operative efforts and dietary guidelines for age categories which are reflected in the present guidelines.”He referred to the recent efforts of Qatar to reduce the level of sodium in water with an agreement with certain water companies. “Similarly bakeries also have been provided health guidelines while preparing several food items resulting in reduction of sodium and salt in bread. Another effort has enabled in reducing the fat content in milk. All this will contribute to improve the health of the people of the country,” he added.