Guidelines of the National Fortification Alliance of Liberia .

These mandatory Guidelines, developed by the National Fortification Alliance (NFA), provide a comprehensive overview of Liberia’s national food fortification program. Liberia adopted a set of food standards from Nigeria to include mandatory fortification for foods widley consumed in the country, namely: wheat flour, cooking oil, salt, and sugar. The Regulations included in the Guidelines aim to (i) reinforce existing food fortification and safety standards by mandating the fortification of salt, wheat flour, sugar, and cooking oil; (ii) empower the Ministries of Commerce (MoCI) and Health (MoHSW) to require or allow the fortification of additional foods to combat nutritional deficiencies and improve public health in Liberia; (iii) reinforce the existing Act that established the Division of Standards within the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) and the Division of Environmental and Occupational Health (DEOH) within the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoHSW). The provisions of this Regulation apply to all food imported, manufactured, packaged, labeled, stored, transported, displayed for sale or distribution, distributed, or sold in the country, or exported from the country. While they do not apply to any food that is grown or cultivated and consumed solely by an individual or his or her own family or animals.
The document consolidates all relevant documents into a single reference, including (i) NFA Regulations, outlining directives to be followed across the fortification program, including its purpose, key definitions, and enforcement measures to ensure compliance by importers, manufacturers, and other industry stakeholders with national standards; (ii) NFA Strategy, presenting the rationale and guiding principles behind the program; (iii) Roles and Responsibilities, detailing the specific duties of various government ministries, divisions, civil society organizations, and private sector partners; (iv) Official Logo, specifying appropriate usage and branding of the fortification initiative. The Guidelines cover the application, issuance, and use of the logo in labelling fortified foods produced following the national standards; (v) Sample Inspection and Collection Procedures, describing inspection responsibilities and step-by-step procedures for monitoring fortified foods and ensuring collaboration among the different institutions to ensure that the problem of micronutrient deficiencies is addressed appropriately and effectively through the fortification of staple foods; (vi) Non-Compliance Measures, outlining penalties for failure to fortify, incorrect fortification levels, or misuse of the logo; (vii) Fortification Standards, specifying the required nutrient levels that all importers, local producers, and manufacturers must meet.
The main provisions establish that (i) no importer, manufacturer, distributor, seller, or exporter of food shall operate or advertise its business without having a license and must establish and implement quality assurance procedures in accordance with regulatory requirements, to ensure that their operations and the food under their control comply with all applicable standards; (ii) all packaged food shall be packaged in a manner that protects and preserves its composition, quality, purity, hygiene, and safety; protects it from harmful or contaminating substances, agents, or effects; and protects its nutritive properties from excessive heat, moisture, and other conditions that may cause diminution; (iii) all packaged food shall be labeled and advertised in a manner that is true and accurate and that is not likely to mislead the consumer; (iv) all food shall be stored and transported in a manner that protects and preserves its composition, quality, purity, hygiene, and safety; protects it from harmful or contaminating substances, agents, or effects; protects its nutritive properties, and that is in conformance with any requirements established in regulations. Foods fortified in compliance with regulatory requirements shall be given priority in storage, display, and transport over non-fortified foods of the same class or category; (v) authorized officers shall have the authority to conduct inspections and investigations to determine compliance with regulatory requirements.
The NFA Strategy guides the NFA throughout the design and implementation of Liberia’s National Fortification Program. The following program components are addressed (i) Selection of Vehicles and Fortificants; (ii) Policy and Regulation; (iii) Industry/Importer Engagement and Implementation; (iv) Quality Control Systems; (v) Social Marketing; (vi) Monitoring and Evaluation.