Our work / Malawi
Case study · Malawi · Safer food in Malawi (IMAGRI)
Making food safety achievable for Malawi’s food businesses
An academy, audits and coaching for small food enterprises, backed by consumer research and a national awareness campaign. Funded by the Embassy of Ireland in Malawi and delivered by Economic Sense NPO.
The challenge
Malawian food processors that want to sell to supermarkets, institutions and export buyers must meet food safety standards written in technical language. Most are small businesses with no food safety specialist, limited access to pilot facilities, and patchy internet for online learning.
Consumers are part of the picture too. Our consumer study on attitudes to food safety found that shoppers judge safety by what they can see, put price first and trust the vendors they know, and that shapes what businesses need to change and what the public needs to hear.
What we did
- Built an Enterprise Food Safety Academy that turns Malawi Standard MS 21 and Codex principles into step-by-step actions a small factory can follow.
- Trained owners and staff hands-on, audited each factory against the standard, and coached on the gaps that mattered most for that business.
- Tested in-person, online and blended delivery, so enterprises with weak internet could still take part.
- Launched issue-based coaching for chilli, groundnuts and honey, where the same food safety problems come up again and again.
- Opened a Food Safety Clinic where enterprises get practical help on specific problems.
- Ran a consumer study on attitudes to food safety, then took the findings to the public through a national radio awareness campaign.
- Launched World Food Safety Day with the Ministry of Health.
- Identified shared facilities and pilot plants, including SMEDI and universities, for businesses moving into formal markets.
Results
- 21 food enterprises trained.
- 15 enterprises completed structured gap audits and coaching, and left with improvement plans based on evidence.
- 20 Cohort 1 enterprises started Personalised Enterprise Food Safety Pathways in May 2026, the first phase of the IMAGRI Enterprise Support Programme that we designed.
- Food safety is on the public agenda: a national radio campaign and a World Food Safety Day launch with the Ministry of Health.
- The Food Safety Clinic was tested in the field at the August 2026 Legumes Tour in Chikwawa.
Need this kind of work done?
Client references are available on request.