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Worker checking a temperature monitor inside a commercial cold store containing frozen food

Liberia finds 76% of inspected cold stores outside safe temperature ranges

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Nationwide inspections also exposed weak handwashing and temperature-record systems, but authorities have not disclosed how many cold stores were assessed or what happened to food exposed to temperature excursions. LIBERIA — More than three-quarters of the cold stores examined during a nationwide inspection drive in Liberia recorded temperatures outside prescribed

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Ghana launches five-year heavy-metals plan after tests flag turmeric, cereal mixes

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The 2026–2030 strategy promises stronger surveillance, laboratory capacity and enforcement after a nationwide assessment identified lead and cadmium failures in selected food and consumer products. GHANA – Ghana has launched a five-year national strategy to reduce exposure to lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic across its food system, following evidence of

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Kenya elected to ISO Council for 2027–2031 after topping five-country vote

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KEBS Director-General Esther Ngari will lead Kenya’s representation on ISO’s core governance body, giving the country a formal role in strategic and policy decisions. The position does not, however, give Kenya control over individual international standards. KENYA – Kenya has been elected to the Council of the International Organization for

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Uganda moves to coordinate halal certification system after Malaysia-led assessment

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UNBS is seeking to connect standards, certification, accreditation, laboratory testing and traceability into a coordinated national system capable of supporting Ugandan exports.   UGANDA – Uganda is working to strengthen its halal certification system after a Malaysian technical team assessed the country’s existing institutions, standards and certification capacity.   The

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48 die in Ondo methanol outbreak as NAFDAC seizes US$ 226.5 thousand banned alcohol in Lagos

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Laboratory testing found high methanol concentrations in drinks linked to 182 cases in Ondo State, while a separate enforcement operation removed prohibited sachet alcohol and sub-200ml PET bottles from three Lagos markets. NIGERIA – Nigeria’s food and drug regulator has seized alcoholic drinks valued at an estimated ₦300 million during

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UNBS seizes 17,770 litres of illicit alcohol, 8,500 litres of unlabelled spirit in Kampala

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Uganda’s standards regulator named five uncertified gin brands following operations in Nakulabye and Kiwunya, but it has not released laboratory findings or announced any arrests.   UGANDA – The Uganda National Bureau of Standards has seized 17,770 litres of alcohol it described as illicit during market-surveillance operations at several premises

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Worker wearing protective coveralls and a respirator spraying crops with a backpack pesticide applicator

EU Council backs tighter pesticide residue rules as Kenyan audit flags monitoring gaps

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The negotiating mandate could lower limits for selected hazardous substances to laboratory quantification levels. No new bloc-wide limit has taken effect, but African export sectors may face increased testing, traceability and crop-protection demands. EU – European Union member states have agreed a negotiating position that would allow pesticide residue limits

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Regulatory officials inspect food products during an enforcement raid in Nigeria.

Two Badagry drinks raids sharpen scrutiny of Nigeria’s food-fraud controls

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The enforcement actions follow an interception of expired noodles allegedly intended for relabelling, a surge in public complaints and growing concern over suspected counterfeit and adulterated consumer products. NIGERIA – Nigerian security agencies have closed two suspected illegal beverage-production sites in Badagry within five days, adding to public concern about

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Food-safety professional inspecting packaged products on a processing line in a Ugandan food facility.

Uganda seeks final comments on seven updated ISO food-safety standards

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The proposed standards cover food manufacturing, catering, packaging, transport, storage, animal feed, retail and wholesale. UNBS has asked stakeholders to submit comments by 2 October 2026. UGANDA — The Uganda National Bureau of Standards is seeking final stakeholder comments on seven international standards governing the prerequisite programmes that support food-safety

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Trader covering raised crates of fresh produce during heavy rain at a Kenyan open-air market.

Kenya flags aflatoxin, water, and cold-chain risks ahead of El Niño rains

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The Ministry of Health has urged households, food traders and communities to prepare before the short rains intensify, warning that flooding and high humidity could contaminate water, damage stored grain, and interrupt refrigeration. KENYA  — Kenya’s Ministry of Health has issued a preventive food-safety advisory ahead of anticipated El Niño-enhanced

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