To contain the escalating challenges weighing heavily on the food and industrial sectors, an expanded meeting was held at the Damascus and its Countryside Chamber of Industry. The meeting was chaired by Eng. Muhammad Ayman Al-Maulawi, Chairman of the Chamber, alongside Mr. Osama Al-Nann, Board Member and Head of the Food Sector, and Mr. Raeif Al-Sbaie, Chamber Board Member and Vice President of the Food Sector, in the presence of heads of subcommittees, to discuss the most prominent challenges facing the industrial and food sectors and ways to address them.The discussion focused on violations issued by the Directorates of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection regarding product specifications. Attendees stressed the urgent need to amend the mechanism for closure decisions, suggesting they should be limited to warnings and financial fines in the first instance, and that closures should only be resorted to in cases of highly severe violations.The meeting also addressed the issue of food analysis results in the provinces, which frequently prove to be inaccurate, leading to unjustified violations against companies despite the safety of the control samples kept in their possession. They demanded the establishment of a specialized, accredited laboratory for industrialists to ensure the accuracy of testing. In this context, Osama Al-Nann announced preparations for an upcoming meeting bringing together the Director of the General Organization for Standardization and Metrology with representatives of laboratories from the Directorate of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection to address issues of specifications, analysis, and laboratories in an integrated manner. He emphasized the importance of submitting well-studied and unified collective memorandums by all manufacturers.Furthermore, attendees discussed the struggles of dairy producers resulting from violations tied to the newly issued "dairy product analogue" specification. They highlighted the need to circulate and study this specification, taking manufacturers' feedback into account before final adoption to prevent unfair violations. Additionally, they reviewed the directive from the Ministry of Economy and Industry requiring industrialists and producers to state the applied heat treatment method clearly on the product label. It was decided to draft a memorandum to discuss and modify this clause in a way that aligns with the nature of each product.Participants also expressed dissatisfaction with the excessive delays in analyzing imported materials at border crossings, highlighting its negative impact on food quality. They demanded a resolution for the sharply increased customs duties on empty tin cans used for olive oil packaging, which have jumped several folds. They also called for exempting industrial companies from the permanent financial fees imposed on their transport and distribution vehicles.Regarding intellectual property and printing protection, attendees urged the imposition of warnings and penalties on printing houses that print trademarks without verifying that the company holds a property protection certificate, aiming to curb violations. They also requested that companies be permitted to use stickers on old or non-compliant packaging materials until their current stocks are fully depleted.The meeting concluded by stressing the need to demand that the Ministry of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection refrain from issuing any decisions concerning industrial companies without prior consensus and partnership with the Chamber of Industry and relevant entities, ensuring that decisions are made by unanimous agreement
5/8/2026
