Liberia Unifies Food Safety Standards to Curb Duplicate Inspections, Ease Business Costs

Monrovia — Liberia has introduced a unified national food safety standard aimed at reducing duplicate inspections, harmonizing regulatory requirements and easing compliance costs for businesses across the food sector.

The Food Authority of Liberia (FAL), in partnership with the European Union-funded Liberian Food Safety Initiative (LiFSI), implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), unveiled the Liberian National Food Safety Standard at a workshop held Monday, October 19, at Cape Hotel in Monrovia.

The workshop brought together food business operators, private sector representatives from the fisheries, cocoa and food preparation sectors, and officials from government ministries, agencies and authorities.

The new Standard establishes a common framework for food inspections under the central leadership of FAL while preserving the statutory mandates of ministries and agencies responsible for specialized inspections.

Previously, businesses faced inspections by multiple institutions operating under separate requirements, often resulting in repeated visits, inconsistent compliance demands and additional operating costs.

The reform is intended to streamline inspections, promote consistent enforcement and shift regulatory attention toward risks that pose the greatest threats to consumers.

Businesses Welcome Move to End Repeated Inspections

Food business operators welcomed the consolidation of inspection requirements into a single national Standard, saying it could reduce the financial and operational burdens associated with repeated inspections by different regulatory institutions.

Under the framework, specialized agencies will retain their legal responsibilities, but their inspection activities will be aligned with a common set of requirements.

A key component is a new Know-the-Law booklet designed to help businesses understand their legal obligations, identify the institutions responsible for enforcing specific requirements and determine which authorities to approach on compliance matters.

The booklet is expected to clarify regulatory responsibilities and reduce confusion among operators navigating Liberia’s food safety system.

Isaac Donkor, Chief Technical Adviser of LiFSI, said responsibility for food control had historically been distributed among autonomous agencies, line ministries and the Liberia Standards Authority without a common framework governing how inspections should be conducted.

He said the arrangement had contributed to inconsistent requirements, repeated inspections of the same businesses and a reactive approach that did not consistently prioritize the most significant risks to consumers.

Addressing business representatives, Donkor emphasized the need for cooperation between regulators and operators.

“Food safety is not something regulators do to businesses. It is something we achieve together,” he said.

He thanked the European Union for supporting the initiative and FAL for leading the reform process.

FAL Leads Harmonization Effort

The workshop was chaired by Georgette N. Gray, Acting Director General of FAL, who reaffirmed the authority’s commitment to raising food safety awareness and working with private businesses to improve compliance.

Theophilus Ndorbor, FAL’s Deputy Director General for Technical Services, outlined the work undertaken since May 2026 to develop the unified framework.

The process included a review of Liberia’s food inspection laws and practices, consultations with seven government institutions, and the development of a risk-based inspection framework validated by national stakeholders in August.

Ndorbor said the national Standard defines the requirements food businesses must meet, while the inspection framework provides a consistent and fair mechanism for assessing compliance across institutions.

“The Standard sets out what is required of every food business. The inspection framework is how compliance will be checked, consistently and fairly, across institutions. One without the other is incomplete,” he said.

The initiative seeks to ensure that inspection practices are coordinated without removing the legal authority of institutions with specific regulatory responsibilities.

EU Links Food Safety to Trade and Investment

Maria Winnubst, Policy Officer and Programme Officer at the Delegation of the European Union to Liberia, reaffirmed the EU’s support for strengthening the country’s food safety system.

She referenced President Joseph Boakai’s recognition of the initiative and its significance for local markets, emphasizing the importance of collaboration among government ministries and agencies.

Winnubst said stronger food safety standards could improve the competitiveness of Liberian food products, expand export opportunities, attract foreign investment and contribute to economic growth.

She thanked participants for their commitment and reaffirmed the European Union’s continued support for Liberia’s efforts to improve food safety.

Oretha Juah Bestman-Yates, Assistant Minister for Human Resources at the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs, also attended the workshop and commended the initiative, describing food safety as a major priority on the President’s agenda.

Initiative Builds National Food Safety Training Capacity

The unveiling of the Standard follows a series of training programmes organized by LiFSI and FAL to strengthen the technical capacity of government food inspectors and other stakeholders.

The programmes covered food safety, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), practical inspection procedures and audit techniques. Participants also completed assessments to evaluate their understanding of food safety hazards, compliance requirements and inspection practices.

LiFSI’s International Senior Food Safety Expert, Harriet Simmons, presented the new Standard at the Monrovia workshop. National Food Safety Expert Mildred M. Morris also supported the training programme.

Earlier, on October 12–13, LiFSI and FAL conducted a two-day Training of Trainers workshop in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County.

The workshop brought together 16 participants selected from the earlier training in Monrovia to strengthen their technical knowledge, practical skills and ability to train other food safety personnel.

The training initiative is intended to establish a broader national network of qualified food safety trainers capable of supporting consistent implementation of the new Standard.

Toward Safer Food and Stronger Regulation

Through its partnership with the European Union, FAL and other national stakeholders, LiFSI is supporting efforts to strengthen Liberia’s food safety system, improve regulatory capacity and create conditions for greater investment and export opportunities.

The unified Standard is expected to provide a common basis for inspections across the food sector while helping businesses better understand and meet their legal obligations.

Its effectiveness will depend on how consistently the participating institutions implement the framework, coordinate inspections and enforce food safety requirements across the country.