Food safety regulation for small food businesses in Southern Africa Development Communities: An Integrated Review of Public Health Laws, Informal Food Markets, and Risk-Based Regional Frameworks

Introduction: The African Union and regional initiatives, such as the African Food Safety Agency and the Southern African Development Community's (SADC) food safety guidelines, introduced interventions to reduce the burden of foodborne disease. However, progress in strengthening food safety regulations for small food businesses (SFBs) across SADC remains limited. Objective: to investigate the existing food safety regulations for SFBs and their compliance levels to achieve a sustainable local food system across SADC. Methodology: The PRISMA Protocol was used to review thirty-one articles collected from online databases between 2018 and 2025. Screened with inclusion and exclusion criteria. Result: Ten national health-related food laws, acts, and regulations were identified across the 16 member states of the region; all the countries have public health law except for Comoros, 87% have animal health law, and 69% have the Standard Quality Act, Consumer Protection Law, livestock and meat law, and plant-related law. South Africa and four other countries have the highest number of food-related laws, which also include the most explicit law for SFBs, known as the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act, 1972, revised in 2018. Conditions like poor hygienic practices, inadequate cooling and storage methods, cultural beliefs, a lack of potable water, limited consumer awareness, low technology adoption, and outdated laws for SFBs, potable water, limited consumer awareness, low technology adoption, technical know-how, and old and fragmented laws affected their compliance level. The review identified better coordination, capacity building for vendors and regulators, collaborative efforts, and digital technology adoption as best practices. Conclusion: An autonomous Food Safety Agency situated under the member state's Ministry of Health with a multisectoral board for coordination. The Food Act should be aligned with SFBs' complexities, integrating innovations and a risk-based assessment.