Africa: From Certification to Change: Why Africa’s Food Safety Needs a Different Approach
As the world marks June 7 as World Food Safety Day 2025 under the theme “Food Safety: Science in Action,” it is time to recognise that food certification does not always mean food safety.
In many African countries, food safety has become synonymous with certification. This framing overlooks a critical reality: certification, while useful for trade, is not always accessible, equitable, or reflective of the broader food environment in which most Africans eat.
Food Health Systems Advisory (FHSA ) recently reviewed over 2,700 food safety certifications across 12 African countries. More than 50% of FSSC certifications were concentrated in South Africa. While Egypt and Kenya followed, most countries had very low uptake, especially among small and medium enterprises.
Why? High costs, few accredited auditors, and limited institutional support make certification out of reach for most. Even businesses that get certified struggle to maintain it. FHSA data show that 1 in every 25 certified firms were suspended due to unannounced audit failure, and more than half will need to recertify by 2026, signalling a recertification wave that many firms may be ill-equipped to navigate.
Beyond the numbers lies a deeper issue: the emergence of a double-standard, two-tiered food safety regime. Certified products often destined for export or high-end retail receive close oversight. However, food sold in local and informal markets, where the majority of Africans shop and eat, often bypasses the same level of scrutiny. Why should a pineapple bound for Europe meet food safety standards, while cassava flour sold in Lagos or Kisumu does not?
To be clear, certification is not the only measure of safety; many uncertified foods are safe, and some certified ones fail over time. But when the safest products are reserved for global buyers, and the most vulnerable populations face the greatest exposure to foodborne risks, we are not just facing a technical problem, we are confronting a justice problem !
“Science in Action” must move beyond paperwork, audit protocols, ISO manuals, and HACCP checklists. These are important tools, but they are not the same as operational food safety systems. A certificate may confirm the existence of a system, but it says little about how it is implemented when no one is watching. Real science in action means smarter, risk-based regulation, inclusive training, and tools that support SMEs.
One example is FHSA supporting hundreds of female-led informal microprocessing clusters in dairy, fruit, and vegetable value chains across Nigeria. These women serve low-income communities with fresh and minimally processed foods. Instead of imposing complex, top-down standards, we are translating food safety concepts like HACCP into everyday language, reframing “hazard analysis” as common-sense hygiene, and “critical control points” as the safety steps they already use to prevent spoilage or contamination.
This is what science in action looks like in practice: adapting global standards to local realities, without losing the essence of what they are meant to achieve: safe food for all . This approach does not lower the bar; it expands ownership. It brings food safety into the realm of daily practice, grounded in the lived realities of the women who feed millions.
Science-based risk assessment could help policymakers and regulators distinguish between perceived and actual hazards in traditional wet and informal markets, guiding proportionate responses rather than blanket crackdowns or neglect. The Codex Alimentarius Commission recently adopted Guidelines for Food Hygiene Control Measures in Traditional Markets , signalling global recognition that traditional informal markets matter. If Codex can acknowledge their importance, so must we. Food safety must start where most people shop and eat.
Some might argue that certification is voluntary or that low-income consumers prioritise affordability over safety. These are valid points that strengthen the case for reimagining food safety as a public good, not a private commodity. Just as vaccines must be safe regardless of income level, food safety must be built into the everyday food environments of all Africans, not just those shopping in supermarkets or shipping goods abroad .
To build systems that work for all, we must: Train and equip regulators to target risk, not just compliance; Support MSMEs with coaching and tools, not just penalties; Rethink certification as a journey, not a finish line, with tiered systems that reward steady improvement; Turn food safety into a public conversation, give consumers simple ways to report, respond, and shape change.
Certification will always have its place, but it cannot be the whole picture. Food safety must be continuous, contextual, and inclusive. Because safe food is not just good business, it is a public good.
By Vivian Maduekeh
