Assessment of Regulatory Gaps in Environmental Health Monitoring of Restaurants and Local Cook Shops in Sanniquellie City, Nimba County, Liberia

Food safety is a major public health challenge in Liberia due to weak regulatory enforcement and limited county-level capacity. Despite the National Food and Feed Quality and Safety Act (2019), implementation gaps persist in rural counties like Nimba. This mixed-methods study assessed awareness, compliance, and enforcement challenges among food business operators in Nimba County. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was employed. Quantitative data were collected from 90 food establishments using structured questionnaires and a 30-item observational hygiene checklist. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and Spearman’s rank correlation were used to analyze associations and relationships. Qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured key informant interviews (n=15) with regulatory officials and a review of national and county-level policy documents. Thematic analysis was applied to qualitative data. The majority of operators were female (65.6%), had secondary education or below (87.7%), and had operated for 1-5 years (53.3%). Only 26.7% had received food safety training. Awareness of the National Food and Feed Quality and Safety Act (2019) was low (31.1%), as was knowledge of licensing requirements (42.2%) and penalties for non-compliance (18.9%). Self-reported inspections were infrequent, with 38.9% of establishments never inspected in the past 12 months. Observational compliance was moderate, with a mean score of 14.8 out of 30 (49.3%). Critical gaps included ineffective pest control (46.7% non-compliant), inadequate waste management (31.1%), and insufficient handwashing facilities (32.3%). Chi-square tests revealed significant associations between type of establishment, education level, training received, and inspection frequency (p < 0.001). Spearman’s correlation showed a weak positive relationship between years of operation and compliance score (ρ = 0.248, p = 0.019). Key informants highlighted irregular inspections due to resource constraints, poor inter-agency coordination, and the near absence of operator training. National frameworks exist but lack county-specific adaptation and systematic enforcement. Priority actions include scaling up low-cost mandatory training for cook shops, adopting risk-based digital inspections, strengthening inter-agency coordination, and providing subsidies to reduce compliance costs, should be introduced while supporting the Liberian Food Safety Initiative (LiFSI).

Environmental health monitoring; Regulatory gaps; Local cook shops; Food safety; Sanitation

1. Ayalew, A., Kareem, F. O., & Grace, D. (2023). A paradigm shift in food safety for Africa. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Bekele, M., Grace, D., Knight-Jones, T. J., Mutua, F., Lindahl, J. F., & Daivadanam, M. (2025). Implementation gaps in food safety interventions: evidence from a multi-vocal review focusing on animal-source foods in Ethiopia. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 9, 1546347. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Boayue, F. G. (2026, January 28). Liberia: Gov’t, EU, UNIDO Launch National Food Safety Assessment in Liberia, FrontPage Africa. https://frontpageafricaonline.com/news/liberia-govt-eu-unido-launch-national-food-safety-assessment-in-liberia/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Domah, T. (2023, July 25). Food poisoning leaves over 30 persons hospitalized, The New Dawn Liberia. https://www.thenewdawnliberia.com/food-poisoning-leaves-over-30-persons-hospitalized/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Nijhawan, A., Budge, S., Bartram, J., Reddy, O. & Howard, G. (2023). Environmental hygiene in outdoor food markets in Africa: A scoping review. Journal of Water, Sanitation & Hygiene for Development 13(4):276-288 DOI: 10.2166/washdev.2023.221 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Pigou, A. C. (1932). The Economics of Welfare (4th ed.). Macmillan & Co., Ltd. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Republic of Liberia. (2019). National Food and Feed Quality and Safety Act of 2019: An Act to amend the Executive Law of Liberia. Ministry of Agriculture. https://www.moa.gov.lr/sites/default/files/documents/NATIONAL%20FOOD%20ACT.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Stigler, G. J. (1971). “The Theory of Economic Regulation,” Bell Journal of Economics and Management Science, 2(1), 3-21. doi:10.2307/3003160 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Tohonon, A.C., Ouétchéhou, R., Hounsou, M., Zannou, O., & Dabadé, D.S. (2025). Food hygiene in Sub-Saharan Africa: A focus on catering services. Food Control 168(2):110938 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2024.110938 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. UNIDO. (2024). Liberian Food Safety Initiative (LiFSI) project document. United Nations Industrial Development Organization. https://downloads.unido.org/ot/33/48/33486066/230112_Liberian%20Food%20Safety%20Initiative_Project%20Document_signed.pdf. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Von Bertalanffy, L. (1968). General System Theory: Foundations, Development. New York: George Braziller. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. World Bank. (2022). Food safety in Africa: Past endeavors and future directions. World Bank Group. https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/099627204282217907. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. World Health Organization. (2024). Estimating the burden of foodborne diseases. https://www.who.int/activities/estimating-the-burden-of-foodborne-diseases. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Measuring Waste of Patient Time in Health Care at Non-Digitized Hospital: An Observational Study in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Bangladesh
• Reaffirming Clinical Confidence in Atorvastatin Therapy: A Digital Outreach Case Study from Tamil Nadu, India
• Clinical Manifestations and Therapeutic Response in a Patient with Hypothyroidism: A Case Report
• Eranda (Ricinus Communis) In Gridhrasi (Sciatica): Classical Rationale, Pharmacology and Clinical Evidence- A Narrative Literature Review
• Magnetotherapy in Pain Management: Mechanisms, Clinical Applications, and Future Perspectives – A Review