Food Safety & Quality Law

Everything being equal, food products and objects which come in contact with food products should not constitute a risk factor to human health. Food laws and regulations govern food chain operators and the food chain, specifically how food is produced, manufactured, prepared, traded, distributed, handled, and consumed. It is one of the areas where consumers are protected the most to ensure that food is safe and of adequate quality. Food laws and regulations cover the total chain beginning with provisions for animal feed, on-farm controls, and early processing through to final distribution and use by the consumer.
Law no 2018/020 of December 11, 2018 which lays down the framework on food safety & quality in Cameroon is the cornerstone of food law in Cameroon. It lays down the principles and bases for regulating food products, feed for animals intended for human consumption, and food additives and supplements, for optimum protection of the life and health of consumers and a sound environment. The law applies to production, manufacturing, preparation, handling, parcelling, storage, transportation, packaging, preservation, import, export, distribution and sale of food products or any other related activities.

The 2011 framework law on consumer protection plays a significant role in the area of food safety as well. Food law and regulation in Cameroon is built to gradually integrate the regional and international food safety framework including actors such as the food code known as the CODEX Alimentarius (CODEX) the global compilation of standards, guidelines and codes of practice, the World Organisation for Animal Health, International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), and the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN). The food code (CODEX) comprises of commodity standards, guidelines, codes of practice, maximum levels for contaminants in food, maximum levels covering food additives, maximum residue limits for pesticide residues covering pesticides, and maximum residue limits of veterinary drugs in foods covering veterinary drugs.
In addition to the 2018 Framework law on food safety & quality, there are hundreds of obligatory food products norms and standards laid down by the Standards & Quality Agency (ANOR) which is the regulatory body in charge of elaborating standards and norms in Cameroon. These norms vary from norms on bread, fruit juice, sugar, fruit nectar, jams, frozen food, non-alcoholic beverages, cereal-based alcoholic beverages, wine, aperitifs based on wine products, natural mineral water, potable water destined for human consumption, dried fruit, vegetable juice, honey, mixtures of fruit nectar, packaging & transportation of fruits & vegetables, rice, margarine, minarine, vegetable oils of a specific name, mayonnaise, biscuits, peanuts, milk, butter, concentrated milk, sweet concentrated milk, cheese, whey cheese, melted cheese, baby foods, dietary supplements, food preparations used in weight loss diet, pre-cooked food & cooking in collective catering, edible cream, yoghurt, powdered milk, whey powder, foods for infants, canned sardine, fresh fish, canned shellfish and mollusks, frozen fish, prawns, smoked fish, salted fish, crabs, fishing products, corned beef, luncheon meat, ham, pork, broths & consumed, fresh meat, chicken, game, management and customer service in hotels and restaurants, general principles on food hygiene, food additives, virgin olive oils, vegetable oils, flour, liquor, irradiated food, indicative content for acrylonitrile and chloride monomer vinyl sodium in foods and food packaging, food packaging and labelling guidelines, etc.

Consumer goods & Retail Law

Dayspring Law Firm lawyers assist actors in the retail industry and support businesses in the hotel, catering, food & beverage, luxury, and fashion industries. We meet the legal needs of clients in the retail industry, from brick-and-mortar stores to multi-national retail chains, consumer goods manufacturers and suppliers, by advising them on consumer protection laws, franchising law, lease management, business law, commercial activities law, advertising law, pricing laws & regulations, intellectual property law, trade secrets, commercial litigation, competition law, general liability, employment law, electronic commerce law, insurance law, professional leasing & real estate, tax law, etc. We draft distribution contracts, franchise contracts, lease management contracts, commercial contracts, licensing agreements, law of torts, etc.