On Friday, June 7, 2025, Liberia joined other countries to celebrate World Food Safety Day in order to raise awareness about the importance of food safety and its impact on public health.
The program was held at the Ministry of Health in Congo Town bringing together stakeholders.
The year’s celebration was under the theme, Food Safety Science in Action focusing on the crucial role that science plays in advancing research and knowledge to keep food safe.
With an estimated 600 million cases of food borne illnesses annually, unsafe food remains a threat to human health and the economies, disproportionately affecting vulnerable and marginalized people, especially women and children.
Delivering the keynote address, the Director General of the Food Authority of Liberia, Pricilia Cherue highlighted the importance of applying scientific knowledge to detect hazards, prevent foodborne illnesses, and to implement safety standards that protect lives and support trade.
She said the newly established Food Authority is seriously aligning with food safety, particularly with food safety science.
The Director said the Authority is prioritizing science-based food safety systems which include strengthening laboratory capacity and national surveillance systems, training inspectors and food handlers across the value chain, promoting evidence-based policies and regulatory reforms and among others.
“We are also actively engaging with global platforms, including Codex, FAO, WHO, UNIDO, and INFOSAN, to ensure that Liberia benefits from international best practices and contributes meaningfully to the global food safety dialogue, “she said.
Cherue reaffirmed her institution’s commitment to ensuring food safety in Liberia and stating the need for stakeholders to unite to make food safety a national priority.
Also, the Director General for the National Standard Laboratory Stephen Y. Mambu called for more support to the regulatory body to ensure food safety.
He said with more support stakeholders will be able to provide sensitization, awareness and capacity building on safe food practices in order to build a culture of safe food.
He also asked private sector food-based businesses and organizations to make it their responsibility to ensure that safe food practices are carried out for production and marketing.
“My appeal also goes to development partners who are supporting and implementing food security programs to ensure that food safety is strongly ingrained in the implementation frameworks of programs,” he said.
For her part, the Assistant Minister for Prevention and Curative Services at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Cuallau Jabbeh Howe emphasized the urgent need for a national commitment to food hygiene, safety, and nutritional quality.
She said that was important in order to reduce foodborne illnesses and to combat malnutrition.
She noted that food security must go beyond mere availability of food but to quality and safety.
“It is not just about making food available but ensuring that the food we provide is safe and hygienic. We must be intentional in how we prepare and handle food because poor handling of food practices directly contributes to illness and malnutrition.”
