Baladna refutes rumours about packing plastic quality

Baladna has dismissed rumours circulating on social media outlets about the quality of plastic used by the company to pack foodstuff.

In a notice posted on its website and other online platforms, the company said it strongly denied the rumours and considered consumer health as its top priority.The company said some social media outlets "circulated false rumours and fabricated news", and these were also falsely attributed to a Qatari citizen, who later refuted the allegations. The aim of spreading such rumours was to "harm the reputation of Baladna Food Industries, the State of Qatar and government regulators, and to charge other government companies with manipulation", the notice read."These rumours focused on the fact that our company uses primary plastic materials that are not suitable for human use in the manufacture of containers, contrary to the international technical standards for packing foodstuff," the company stated."Baladna strongly denies these rumours. We consider consumer health as our top priority. We serve only the freshest and highest-quality local products, and only in packaging that meets the strictest global standards," the notice stressed. "Baladna is an ISO 22000: 2005-certified company that adheres closely to FDA rules and regulations as well as all international standards and processes to provide high-quality safe food products to consumers."This includes stringent measures in quality control, sanitation and other food safety mechanisms, including bottling and product packaging. All of our packaging materials, including plastic containers, are made from approved materials and are safe for packing all food products."Baladna also said the Qatari citizen denied he ever made any such allegations and contacted the company to inform them about the rumours. He also went to the electronic crimes department at the Ministry of Interior and filed a complaint.The "style and formula" of the rumours have shown that it is a "specialist rather than an individual effort" carried out with the intention of defaming "the national industry and our company", the notice added.