Required Report - public distribution

**Date:** 9/27/2007

**GAIN Report Number:** QA7002

QA7002

**Qatar**

**FAIRS Country Report**

**Annual**

**2007**

**Approved by:**

![](media/image1.wmf)David J. Williams

**Prepared by:**

Mohamed Taha

**Report Highlights:**

Updated Sections:

Section I, II, III, IV and Appendix I.

Includes PSD Changes: No

Includes Trade Matrix: No

Annual Report

Dubai \[TC1\]

\[QA\]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

SECTION I. FOOD LAWS
............................................................................................Page
3

SECTION II: LABELING REQUIREMENTS.....................
............................................Page 4

SECTION III: PACKAGING AND CONTAINER
REGULATIONS................................Page 6

SECTION IV: FOOD ADDITIVE
REGULATION............................................................Page
6

SECTION V: PESTICIDE AND OTHER
CONTAMINANTS...........................................Page 6

SECTION VI: OTHER REGULATIONS AND
REQUIREMENTS...............................\...Page 6

SECTION VII: OTHER SPECIFIC
STANDARDS..........................................................Page
7

SECTION VIII: COPYRIGHT AND/OR TRADEMARK
LAWS......................................Page 7

SECTION IX: IMPORT
PROCEDURES..........................................................................Page
7

APPENDIX I: GOVERNMENT REGULATORY AGENCY
CONTACTS..........................Page 9

**DISCLAIMER:** This report was prepared by the Agricultural Trade
Office of the USDA/Foreign Agricultural Service in Dubai, UAE for U.S.
exporters of domestic food and agricultural products. While every
possible care was taken in the preparation of this report, information
provided may not be completely accurate either because policies have
changed since its preparation, or because clear and consistent
information about these policies was not available. It is highly
recommended that U.S. exporters verify the full set of import
requirements with their foreign customers, who are normally best
equipped to research such matters with local authorities, before any
goods are shipped. Final import approval of any product is subject to
the importing country's rules and regulations as interpreted by border
officials at the time of product entry.

# 

# SECTION I: FOOD LAWS 

# 

Qatar is a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which also
includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab
Emirates. The GCC member states have unified several food standards, and
are working to jointly harmonize food import standards, including
labeling and shelf-life regulations.

GCC member states continue to work towards harmonizing their food import
standards, including labeling and shelf‑life regulations. The first
significant step towards this harmonization of food regulations came
with issuance of Gulf Standard (GS) 150/1993, Part I, which established
regional food shelf‑life standards for seventy-five food products.

In 1993 Qatar adopted GS 150/1993, Part I, without any modifications, as
Qatari Standard (QS) 150/1993, Part I, and implemented it effective June
1, 1994. GS 1023/2000, Part II, expanded the list authorized in Part I
by 95 additional food products. Qatar currently enforces the identified
shelf‑life requirements for those 95 additional food products.

On behalf of the GCC states, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia recently
prepared a revised standard for the shelf life of food products. While a
final version of the standard has reportedly been prepared, it has not
been officially announced to replace GS 150/1993 and GS 1023/2000. The
revised standard will reportedly bring the GCC into closer compliance
with the guidelines of Codex Alimentarius.

Similar to shelf life, the State of Qatar drafted a standard to replace
the existing GS 9/1995 for the "Labeling Requirements of Prepackaged
Foods." Reportedly, a final version of this standard is also nearing
completion within the GCC review process.

In January 2003, Qatar implemented the \"GCC Unified Customs Law and
Single Customs Tariff\" (UCL). Under the UCL, a unified customs tariff
of five percent is applied on practically all processed food products.
Live animals, fresh fruits and vegetables, seafood, grains, flours, tea,
sugar, spices and seeds for planting are exempt from any import duty.

Under the UCL, the GCC also adopted a single entry point policy, meaning
a product would pay the appropriate duty at point of entry into the GCC,
then be permitted duty free transit among GCC member countries. To date,
however, not every GCC country has implemented the single entry point
policy for a variety of reasons, including disparity of food control
procedures, quality of health laboratories and procedures for dividing
tariff proceeds among member countries.

GCC countries have developed the "Guide for Food Import Procedures for
the GCC Countries." This guide is meant to unify the applied procedure
in all the GCC countries for clearing food consignments as well as
unifying the required import certificates for different types of foods.
Bahrain notified the WTO of the proposed action and the U.S. government
has submitted comments on the proposal. See report number TC7013 for
more details.

Qatari officials, for the most part, will work with companies to ensure
that food and agricultural imports are not unduly disrupted or delayed
at port of entry. Food labels can be approved through a pre-approval
process prior to import. Achieving such pre‑import approval is strongly
encouraged, particularly for new‑to‑market products.

On May 5, 2005 the Emir of Qatar issued a law abolishing the Ministry of
Public Health (MOPH). On the same day, the Emir issued decrees
establishing a National Health Authority (NHA) and its Board of
Directors. The NHA carries out all functions previously conducted by the
MOPH.

The National Health Authority (NHA), in coordination with the General
Organization for Standards and Metrology and the Ministry of Economy &
Commerce, (MOEC), is responsible for establishing food safety
regulations. The Food Control Committee (FCC), an interagency committee,
headed by the Assistant Undersecretary of NHA for Technical Affairs,
which incorporates representatives from NHA, Doha Municipality and the
Agricultural Development Department, decides on all food safety and
control issues, including import bans.

The Department of Commercial Affairs, MOEC, is responsible for trademark
and agency laws. The Customs and Ports Authority is responsible for
enforcement of agency laws at the time of import.

The Food Control Division, Preventive Health Department (PHD), is
responsible for the enforcement of food safety regulations. Health
inspectors visually inspect all imported food products, verify
compliance with label regulations and, if necessary, draw samples for
analysis by the NHA Central Laboratories.

Not all shipments are subject to laboratory analysis. In general,
new‑to‑market products and products that failed a previous inspection
are targeted for thorough examination upon importation. Poultry and meat
products are routinely inspected for Salmonella and other pathogens.
According to NHA officials, laboratory analyses could take up to one
week to ten days, depending on the nature of required tests.

The Agricultural Development Department of the Ministry of Municipal
Affairs and Agriculture is responsible for inspecting live animals and
plants, animal feed and horticultural products at the port of entry.

# SECTION II: LABELING REQUIREMENTS 

As noted previously QS 150/1993, Part I and Part II contain Qatar's
shelf‑life regulations. According to local health officials,
non‑compliance with GS 150/1993, Part II, will not result in rejection
of a shipment ‑ the first time. Rather, the importer will be issued a
warning to comply in the future and subsequent shipments may then be
rejected for non‑compliance.

QS 9/1996, which is identical to GS 9/1995, contains Qatar's labeling
regulations. Under QS 9/1996, food labels must contain the following
information on the original label or primary packaging:

‑ Product and brand names

‑ Ingredients, in descending order of proportion

‑ Additives

‑ Net contents in metric units (volume in case of liquids)

‑ Dates of production and expiry

‑ Manufacturer\'s name and address

‑ Country of origin

‑ Special instructions for storage, transportation and preparation, if
any

Original labels should be printed in Arabic. However, bilingual labels
are permitted, provided Arabic is one of the languages (e.g.
Arabic/English) and all the required information printed in the foreign
language is also printed in Arabic.

Arabic language stickers are permitted in lieu of original Arabic or
bilingual labels provided the sticker:

1)  Is extremely difficult to remove.

2)  Includes all required label information.

3)  Does not cover required information on the original label.

4)  Does not contradict information on the original label. In fact,
    local officials consider such stickers to be labels.

Labels/stickers must be applied prior to importation. No change to label
information is permitted after importation.

Labeling of nutritional value is voluntary. The U.S. nutritional panel
is acceptable. Labeling of recommended daily intake RDI is not required.

Exception: Labels for specialty foods, such as diet and health foods,
foods for diabetics and infants, must contain detailed information about
the product\'s vitamin and mineral content, nutritive value per 100
grams, proper use and storage. The NHA must approve and register these
foods prior to import.

Labeling regulations apply to products shipped in institutional‑size
containers for direct consumption in hotels, restaurants and
institutions.

Labeling requirements are waived for food products that are imported in
bulk form for further processing.

Production and expiry (P/E) dates must be engraved, embossed, printed or
stamped directly onto the original label or primary packaging at the
time of production, using indelible ink. Neither stickers nor U.S. bar
codes are permitted as substitutes. Multiple P/E dates on the label are
not acceptable. Finally, P/E dates must be printed in Arabic (and
English if a bilingual label) in the following order, depending upon the
shelf‑life of the product:

-   Day/month/year for products with a shelf‑life of 6 months or less

-   Month/year for products with a shelf‑life longer than 6 months

Under the month/year format, the last day of the month will be
considered the expiry date. The month may be printed in numbers or
letters. For example, 4/2004 and April 2004 are both acceptable formats.
P/E dates in English digits alone are acceptable, but it is preferable
to have the dates in both languages.

The expiration date may be printed in one of the following formats:

‑ Expiration date: (date)

‑ Use by: (date)

‑ Use before: (date)

‑ Sell by: (date)

‑ Fit for: (duration) from the date of production.

P/E dates are not required for certain products, such as fresh fruits
and vegetables, and fresh bakery items.

Production dates alone are sufficient for products deemed to have
extremely long shelf‑life durations, such as salt, white sugar, spices
and condiments, tea, rice and dried pulses.

# SECTION III: PACKAGING AND CONTAINER REGULATIONS

General requirements for packaged special foods are covered under GS
654/1996, GS 839/97, and GS 1024/2000.

# SECTION IV: FOOD ADDITIVE REGULATIONS

Most local regulations governing the use of food additives are based on
Codex Alimentarius standards. Food coloring additives are regulated
under QS 23/1984. This standard requires the common name and index
number of all coloring additives contained in a product be noted on the
product label. European \"E\" numbers are acceptable.

Qatar enforces a number of other standards governing the use of
additives in a variety of food products. For example, QS 19/1984
regulates additives used in vegetable oils and fats while QS 356, 357,
381, 577, 578 and 1018 regulate other food additives. These regulations
mimic Codex Alimentarious standards for food additives.

The General Organization for Standards and Metrology at MOEC, see
Appendix I, can be contacted for copies of food additive or other
standards. The standards are mostly in Arabic. Some standards are
available in English, but not all.

# SECTION V: PESTICIDE AND OTHER CONTAMINANTS

Local regulations governing pesticide and other contaminate residue
levels are based on Codex Alimentarious standards. Specifically, QS
382/1996 and QS 383/1996 regulate pesticide and other contaminant
residues in food products. The pesticide residues list, as is the food
additives list, is a positive list, i.e., approved pesticides with
tolerance levels are identified.

Pesticides must be registered with the Agricultural Development
Department, Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture.

# SECTION VI: OTHER REGULATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

All new-to-market processed food products are subject to laboratory
analysis. Subsequent shipments of a product that has passed the initial
testing will be subject to further laboratory analysis again after six
months. A product failing a previous inspection will be thoroughly
examined on subsequent shipments for an undisclosed length of time.

All meat and poultry products must be accompanied by an Islamic (Halal)
slaughter certificate issued by an approved Islamic center in the
country of origin. Import of pork and products containing pork is
strictly prohibited. Food products must identify the origin of any
animal fat (e.g., beef tallow). Maximum alcohol content in barley
beverage (non-alcoholic beer) is 0.05%.

Poultry and meat products are routinely tested for Salmonella. If
Salmonella is detected in more than 20 percent of the tested samples,
the shipment will be rejected. Import of alcoholic beverages and
products containing alcohol is restricted to one organization. The
government strictly controls the sale of alcoholic beverages.
Advertising of such beverages is prohibited.

Food products do not require registration or an import permit. However,
specialty foods, such as diet, health, and infant foods, require a
special import/sales permit issued by a joint committee of
representatives from the Food Control Division, PHD, and the Pharmacies
and Medicines Control Department, NHA. The importer is responsible for
obtaining this permit.

Importation of irradiated food products is permitted, but the product\'s
label must clearly indicate that the product has undergone such
treatment.

Qatar's municipality inspectors randomly check food products in
wholesale and retail markets. In addition to the visual inspection of
labels, samples are collected and analyzed to ensure product ingredients
match those listed on the label. Local inspections are unscheduled. If a
discrepancy is found, the product is removed from the market and
destroyed at the importer\'s expense after notification.

# SECTION VII: OTHER SPECIFIC STANDARDS

# 

Imported food samples are not subject to special requirements. Samples
destined for food shows and other types of promotional events are exempt
from regulations covering labeling and shelf‑life. Accompanying the
samples must be a health certificate, and an invoice noting that the
product is not for sale and is of no commercial value.

# 

# SECTION VIII: COPYRIGHT AND/OR TRADEMARK LAWS

# 

Commercial Agency Law Number 8/2002 regulates Agency matters. Only a
Qatari citizen or Qatari company may register a commercial agency. An
agency contract may be open-ended or time‑limited. A brand can be
registered to only one agent. A company producing several distinct
brands may register each brand with a different agent.

Agency agreements are strictly enforced. Customs officials will
automatically seize any brand imported by a company that is not
registered as the official agent. With the registered agent's written
consent, the consignment will be released. Often an agent will demand a
fee, usually a percentage of the consignment\'s value, for such
permission.

Law of Trademarks and Commercial Indications No. 9/2002 regulate
Trademark matters. The Commercial Affairs Department, MOEC, is charged
with enforcing trademark, as well as, agency regulations. A trademark
can be registered directly with Commercial Affairs by a foreign company
or through a local firm that specializes in such registrations. The
latter is recommended.

Intellectual Property and Copyright Law No. 7/2002 regulates
Intellectual Property matters. The Ministry of Economy and Commerce
(MOEC) is charged with enforcing this law and other intellectual
property matters.

# SECTION IX: IMPORT PROCEDURES

Most food products are imported via truck from the United Arab Emirates
and enter the country at Abu Samra, which borders Saudi Arabia.
Increasing quantities of products are imported through the seaport in
the capital city, Doha, mostly in reefer containers on barges from the
neighboring United Arab Emirates. Small quantities of products, mainly
fresh fruits and vegetables and chilled meat products, are imported via
Doha International Airport. Fresh products are usually cleared within 24
hours of arrival and most other food products within two to three days.
Laboratory analysis, however, may delay clearance of some products for
up to ten days.

The following documents are required for imported foods:

‑ Commercial invoice

‑ Packing list

‑ Bill of Lading

‑ Health certificate from the country of origin

‑ Halal slaughter certificate (for poultry and meat products)

‑ Certificate of origin

‑ Radiation free certificate (for European products only)

The commercial invoice and health and country of origin certificates
must be notarized by the Qatari Embassy or consulate in the United
States. In the absence of a Qatari diplomatic mission, any embassy or
consulate of another GCC country can do the job. Trade sources report
that import documents also may be notarized in Doha at the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs provided the documents had been properly notarized by an
Arab Chamber of Commerce in the country of origin. Rejected consignments
for health/quality reasons must be re‑exported (but not to another GCC
country) or destroyed, normally within two weeks of arrival. This grace
period can be extended if extenuating circumstances exist.

Products denied entry due to labeling infractions may later be cleared
upon appeal to the Food Control Section of PHD/NHA, provided the
infraction was minor. Labeling infractions deemed serious will result in
rejection of a shipment with little chance of a successful appeal.
Serious labeling infractions include label tampering, missing or
incorrectly printed production/expiry dates and dates printed on
stickers rather than the original label/packaging.

In January 2003 Qatar implemented the Unified GCC Customs Law, which
imposes an import duty of five percent ad valorem, CIF basis on most
processed food products. Live animals, fresh fruits and vegetables,
seafood, grains, flours, tea, sugar, spices and seeds for planting are
exempt from any imports duty. The import duty for alcoholic beverages,
cigarettes and tobacco products remains at 100 percent. GCC‑origin
products are exempt from all import duties.

# Other Relevant Reports

# 

TC7013 <http://www.fas.usda.gov/gainfiles/200707/146291603.pdf>

**APPENDIX 1: GOVERNMENT REGULATORY AGENCY CONTACTS**

**Contact name/address** **Field of specialty**

\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\--

**Ms. Wassan Al Baker** Analysis of imported food

Director, Central Laboratories products/Food Safety

National Health Authority Committee member

P.O. Box 21266

Doha, Qatar

Tel: (974) 441-7676

Fax:(974) 435-3769

**Mr. Abdallah S. Al-Khanji** Live plants and pesticide

Director, Agricultural Development Dept. import regulations

Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture

P.O. Box 1966

Doha, Qatar

Tel: (974) 449-2666 Fax: (974) 432-2002

**Dr. Mohamed Saif Al-Kuwary** All standards,

Director General including food

General Organization for Standards and Metrology

Ministry of Economy & Commerce

P.O. Box 23277

Doha, Qatar

Tel: (974) 440‑8651 Fax: (974) 447‑9052

**Mr. Mohamed Bin Saif Bin Al Thashal Al Hajri** Food & Health affairs

Assistant Manager, Doha Municipality

Health Affairs

P.O. Box 16773

Doha, Qatar

Tel: (974) 447-8075

Fax : (974) 447-9672

**Mr. Ahmad Saad Al-Qahtani** Inspection of imported

Head of Port Health and food products

Food Control Section

National Health Authority

P.O. Box 5373

Doha, Qatar

Tel: (974) 436-7983

Fax: (974) 436-7989

e-mail: <aalqahtani2@hme.org.qa>

**Dr. Qassim Nasser Alqahtani** Live animal, animal

Director, Animal Wealth Department genetics and pet

Agricultural Development Department import regulations

Ministry of Municipal Affairs & Agriculture

P.O. Box 1966

Doha, Qatar

Tel: (974) 465-3083/4

Fax: (974) 466-3163

**Mr. Mohammed Al-Saadi** Commercial agency

Director, Commercial Affairs Department regulations

Ministry of Economy & Commerce

P.O. Box 22966

Doha, Qatar

Tel: (974) 443-2103 Fax: (974) 443-1412

**Dr. Ahmed Naji** Food import regulations

Director, Preventive Medicine (Policy)

National Health Authority

P.O. Box 42

Doha, Qatar

Tel: (974) 447-3211 Fax:(974) 442-1063

E-mail: <anaji@nha.org.qa>

**H.E. Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al-Thani** Tariffs and customs

Director General regulations

Customs and Ports Authority

P.O. Box 81

Doha, Qatar

Tel: (974) 441-4333 Fax: (974) 441-4959

# 

**Dr. Shady S. Abdullah Zeyadah, Ph.D.** Food safety issues

Food Consultant

Doha Municipality

Ministry of Municipal Affairs & Agriculture

Tel: (974) 434-7540 Fax: (974) 447-9672

E-mail: <sh.zeyadah@yahoo.com>