(P21-009-23) How Do Policies Address Food Safety? Evidence From Policy Document Analyses in Three African Countries

Objectives: African countries continue to see high morbidity and mortality rates from consuming unsafe foods, despite government attempts to ensure food safety through policies. This study aimed to examine how food safety is being addressed in policies in Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania to determine how policy issues are framed, stakeholders’ involvement in developing and operationalizing policies, and to what extent multisectoral coordination is being implemented to ensure food safety.

Methods: A thematic policy analysis of 138 policy documents (Ghana=40, Kenya=54, Tanzania=44) was conducted. Policy documents were systematically sampled using FAOLEX and WHO databases, government websites, and in-country experts. Policies were screened for eligibility and included in the analysis if they provided information on food production, processing, consumption, safety, nutrition, or consumer food choice.

Results: Food safety issues were framed in seven categories: 1) sanitation, hygiene, and waste management, 2) contamination and disease, 3) information and guidance, 4) capacity building, 5) standards and regulation, 6) infrastructure and technology, and 7) implementation. Actors involved in policy development and operation were government agencies, unions and advocacy groups, private enterprises, non-profit organizations, and expert technical working groups. Academic institutions were involved in development but not operation. Although the role of multiple sectors in implementing policy strategies was recognized, the methods for conducting coordinated efforts across sectors were not documented well. To attain policy objectives, governments used informational (i.e., education, guidance) and authority (i.e., regulations, licenses) instruments more than economic (i.e., subsidies, program funding) or organizational (i.e., capacity building) instruments.

Conclusions: Food safety was identified in almost every food-related policy in Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania, highlighting each nation’s broader goals of achieving food safety. Multisectoral collaboration is needed to develop and implement policies to curb challenges posed by food safety issues.

Funding Sources: Drivers of Food Choice Competitive Grants Program, funded by the United Kingdom Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.