Guidelines to support African governments in improving food safety across the informal sector are to be developed. The African Union (AU) and International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) are designing a framework for a continent-wide approach to engaging with the informal food sector. Guidance seeks to reflect the realities of African food systems and improve the ways in which governments work with the informal sector in their efforts to boost the safety of foods.
The African Union and ILRI will consult with the informal sector to help refine the guidelines from June 10. This process with member states will continue in 2024 and 2025 before the framework is presented to the African Union policy bodies for approval in 2025. Attention on the issue Earlier this year the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene sent draft guidelines for food hygiene control measures in traditional food markets to the Codex Alimentarius Commission for adoption and the World Health Organization (WHO) has produced several documents on safer traditional food markets.
According to ILRI, Codex Alimentarius focal points from African countries will be invited to participate in the consultations over the next year, to help ensure alignment. Past analysis has found some 90 million Africans become sick from foodborne illness every year, costing an estimated $16 billion in productivity losses. The international community invests just $55 million per year in food safety projects on the continent, according to a 20.
