The Ministry of Commerce & Industry conducted a surprise inspection campaign at the trade fairs that have recently been held in Qatar. The operation aims to monitor the extent to which companies participating at the Fairs were complying with their obligations stipulated in Law No. (8) of 2008 on Consumer Protection.
These investigations form part of the Ministry’s efforts to monitor markets and commercial activities across Qatar, control prices and protect consumer rights as well as detecting abusesalong with commodities that are falsified, counterfeit or non-conforming to standard specifications.
The campaign resulted in the seizure of various samples of honey, incense and essential oils of unknown origin. The laboratory results proved that the samples do not conform to the standard specifications.
Several violations were released, including displaying and selling fraudulent goods, displaying goods in a manner that contains false and deceptive information and failure to write explanatory data related to the commodity.
Such practices violate the provisions of Article No. (6) of Law No. (8) of 2008 on Consumer Protection, which states: “No defective or adulterated commodity shall be sold, displayed, presented, promoted or advertised. The commodity shall be deemed to be adulterated or defective where it does not conform to the prescribed standard specifications, is unfit for use, or has expired”.
These practices also violate Article No. (7) of the same law, stipulating: “Where a supplier displays any commodity for trading, he shall clearly indicate on the packaging or container the type, nature, ingredients and other information relating to the commodity in the manner specified in the executive bylaw hereof. Where the use of the commodity involves a certain risk, the consumer shall be clearly warned against such risk. The supplier shall be prohibited from describing, advertising or displaying the commodity in a manner that involves false or deceptive information”.
In this regard, the Ministry stressed that it would not tolerate any negligence in terms of meeting obligations stipulated in Law No. (8) of 2008 on Consumer Protection and its executive regulations, and that it would intensify its inspection campaigns to curb violations. Any party that violates laws and Ministerial decisions will be referred to the relevant authorities who would respond appropriately to protect consumer rights.
The Ministry urges all citizens and residents to report any violations or infractions through the following official channels:
– Call Center: 16001
– The Ministry of Commerce & Industry’s authorized social media accounts:
– Twitter @MOCIQATAR
– Instagram MOCIQATAR
