Food Safety Legislation, Standards, and Measures in Ethiopia: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Despite the presence of food and nutrition policies, food safety regulations, standards, and a formal regulatory framework, this scoping review, among the first to comprehensively map Ethiopia's food safety governance, identifies a substantial gap between policy design and practical implementation. Although government and non-governmental organizations have provided training on good hygiene practices, good manufacturing practices, and hazard analysis and critical control points, these efforts have not produced sustained improvements due to weak enforcement, fragmented institutional coordination, and limited surveillance capacity. The findings underscore the need to shift from policy development to implementation-focused reforms, strengthened accountability, and integrated regulatory action to improve food safety outcomes in Ethiopia and similar low-income settings.