Table 4.

Definitions of “foodstuff” in African food regulation frameworks; for Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Congo-Brazzaville, Congo-Kinshasa, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritania, Libya, São Tomé and Príncipe, South Sudan, and Togo, no definitions could be encountered.

Country	Definition (Regulation)
Algeria	“…any treated, partially processed or raw substances intended for human consumption and including beverages, chewing gum and any substances used in the manufacture, preparation and processing of foods, excluding those used only in the form of drugs or cosmetics.” (Décret exécutif no 91-53, Art. 2)
Angola	“…any substance or mixture of substances, in the solid, liquid, pasty or any other suitable form, intended to provide the human body with the normal elements essential for its formation, maintenance, and development.” (Decreto Presidencial no 179/18, Art. 4 c)
Benin	“…any treated, partially processed or raw material intended for human consumption and includes beverages, chewing gum and all substances used in the manufacture, preparation and processing of foods, excluding those used only in the form of drugs or cosmetics.” (Loi no 84-009 du 15 mars 1984, Art. 2)
Botswana	“…means any animal product, fish, fruit, vegetable, condiment, beverage and any other substance whatever, in any form, state or stage of preparation which is intended or ordinarily used for human consumption, and includes any article produced, manufactured, sold or presented for use as food or drink for human consumption, including chewing gum, and any ingredient of such food, drink or chewing gum” (Food Control Act, 2)
Burkina Faso	“…any treated, partially treated or unwrought substance intended for human consumption, and includes beverages, chewing gum and all substances used in the manufacture, preparation and processing of foods, excluding substances used only in form of drugs, cosmetics or tobacco” (Règlement no 007/2007/CM/UEMOA, 1)
Cape Verde	“…any substance or product, processed or partially processed or unprocessed, intended to be ingested by, or reasonably likely to be, human beings” (Decreito-Legislativo no 3/2009, Art. 3.1)
Central African Republic	“…any raw or partially processed substance intended for human consumption” (Loi no 03.04, Art. 24)
Egypt	“…any product or substance intended for human consumption, whether primary, raw, semi-processed, wholly/partially processed or not processed, including beverages and bottled water or food additives and any substance including water and gum, except for fodder and plants and crops before harvest, live animals and birds prior to their transport to slaughterhouses, sea creatures and farm-raised fish prior to fishing, pharmaceutical products and cosmetics” (Law 1/2007, (1)/6)
Eswatini	“…means food of animal origin including meat, milk, fish, honey and their products. (Veterinary Public Health Act, Art. 2)
Ethiopia	“…means any raw, semi-processed or processed substance for commercial purpose or to be served for the public in any way intended for human consumption that includes water and other drinks, chewing gum, supplementary food and any substance which has been used in the manufacture, preparation or treatment of food, but does not include tobacco and substances used only as medicines” (Proclamation № 661/2009, Art. 2, 1/)
Ghana	“…includes water, a food product, a live animal or a live plant, and (a) a substance or a thing of a kind used, capable of being used or represented as being for use, for human or animal consumption whether it is live, raw, prepared or partly prepared, (b) a substance or a thing of a kind used, capable of being used or represented as being for use, as an ingredient or additive in a substance or a thing referred to in paragraph (a), (c) a substance used in preparing a substance or a thing referred to in paragraph (a), (d) chewing gum or an ingredient or additive in chewing gum or a substance used in preparing chewing gum, and (e) a substance or a thing declared by the Minister to be a food under Section 146 (3)” * (Public Health Act, 2012, Art. 149)
Guinea-Bissau	“…any substance, whether or not treated, intended for human consumption, by swallowing beverages and products of the type of chewing gum, as well as the ingredients used in its manufacture, preparation and treatment” (Decreto no 62-E/92, Art. 2)
Ivory Coast	“…any food, product, or drink intended for human consumption.” (Décret no 92-487 du 26 aôut 1992, Art. 2)
Kenya	“…includes any article manufactured, sold or represented for use as food or drink for human consumption, chewing gum, and any ingredient of such food, drink or chewing gum” (Food, Drugs and Chemical Substances Act, 2.)
Liberia	“…articles including liquids used as nutriment for human consumption or use, alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, chewing gum, ice and articles used for components of any such article. (Public Health Law—Title 33—Liberian Code of Laws Revised, § 26.1)
Madagascar	“…any substance or product, processed, partially processed or unprocessed, intended to be ingested or reasonably likely to be ingested by humans. This term also includes beverages, chewing gums and any substance, including water, intentionally incorporated into food during their manufacture, preparation or processing.” (Loi no 2017-048, Art. 2)
Mali	“…any totally processed, partially treated or raw material intended for human consumption and including beverages, chewing gum and all substances used in the manufacture, preparation and processing of foods, excluding cosmetics or tobacco or substances used solely as medicaments” (Décret no 06-259/P-RM du 3 juin 2006, 2)
Mauritius	“…(a) means any article or substance meant for human consumption and includes (i) drinks and bottled water; (ii) chewing gum and other products of similar nature and use; and (iii) articles and substances used or intended for use as ingredients in the composition or preparation of food; (b) does not include (i) live animals, birds or live fish which are not used for human consumption while they are alive; (ii) fodder or feeding stuffs for animals, birds or fish; (iii) drugs or medicine as defined in the Pharmacy Act; and (iv) hormonal products or veterinary products for use in livestock feed” (Food Act 1998, 2.)
Morocco	“…any plant or animal product, raw or wholly or partly processed, intended for human consumption including beverages, gum and all products that have been used for the production and preparation or processing of food. This term does not cover plants before harvest and live animals, with the exception of those prepared for human consumption, as they are, such as shellfish, and do not cover medicines, cosmetics and tobacco” (Loi no 28-7, Art. 2.1)
Mozambique	“…any substance which is consumed in the natural state, semi-prepared or processed, intended for human consumption, including beverages, chewing gum and any other substance used in their manufacture, preparation or treatment. Cosmetics, tobacco and substances used solely as medicine are excluded.” (Decreto no 15/2006 de 22 de Juhno, Art. 1 g))
Namibia	“…means any article or substance (except a medicine as defined in the Medicines and Related Substances Control Act, 1965 [Act 10l of 1965]) ordinarily eaten or drunk by man, or purporting to be suitable, or manufactured or sold, for human consumption, and includes any part or ingredient of any such article or substance, or any substance used or intended or destined to be used as a part or ingredient of any such article or substance” (Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Ordinance 18 of 1979, 1)
Niger	“…treated, partially treated or unprocessed substance intended for human consumption and including beverages, chewing gums and all substances used in the manufacture, preparation and processing of foods excluding substances used solely in the form of medicines, cosmetics or tobacco” (Décret no 2011-616/PRN/MEL, Art. 7/3)
Nigeria	“…includes any article manufactured, processed, packaged, sold or advertised for use as food or drink for human consumption, chewing gum and any ingredient which may be mixed with food for any purpose whatsoever and excludes (a) live animals, birds or fish; (b) articles or substances used as drugs” (Food and Drugs (Amendment) Decree 1999, 7)
Rwanda	“…any items other than pharmaceutical products, cosmetics and tobacco used as food or drink for human beings and include any substance used in the manufacture or treatment of food” (Itegeko no 47/2012 ryo kuwa 14/01/2013, Art. 2)
Senegal	“…any treated, partially treated or unwrought substance intended for human consumption, and includes beverages, chewing gum and all substances used in the manufacture, preparation and processing of foods, excluding substances used only in form of drugs, cosmetics or tobacco” (Règlement no 007/2007/CM/UEMOA, 1)
Seychelles	“…means any substance, whether processed, semi-processed or raw, which is prepared, sold, represented or intended for human consumption, and includes drinks, bottled and packaged water, chewing gum, other products of similar nature or use and any article, substance or ingredients used in the composition, manufacture, preparation or treatment of food but does not include (a) cosmetics; (b) tobacco; (c) plants prior to harvesting; (d) live animals, birds or live fish which are not used for human consumption while they are alive, (excluding shellfish), unless they are prepared for placing on the market for human consumption; (e) fodder or feed for animals, birds or fish; (f) drugs or medicinal products; (g) hormonal products or veterinary products for use in livestock feed; and (h) residues and contaminants” (Food Act, 2014, Art. 2)
Sierra Leone	“…means any article used as food or drink for human consumption, other than drugs or water, and includes (a) any article which is intended for use in the composition or preparation of food; and (b) any flavouring matter or condiment and (c) any colouring matter intended for use in food” (Act №23, 2)
Somalia	“…animal products such as meat, milk, eggs, honey, oil, bones, skin, etc” ** (Veterinary Law Code, Section 1)
South Africa	“…any article or substance (except a medicine defined in Medicine and Related Substances Act (Act 101 of 1965)) ordinarily eaten or drunk by a person or purporting to be suitable, or manufactured or sold, for human consumption, and includes any part or ingredient of any such article or substance, or any substance used or intended or destined to be used as a part or ingredient of any such article or substance” (Foodstuffs, Cosmetic, and Disinfectants Act №54 of 1972, 1)
Sudan	“…means foods or beverages that are prepared or distributed are intended for use in human consumption and include any other substances that are part of their manufacture or part of these substances, including also dairy products.” (قانون رقم ٥٦٩ لسنة ١٩٧٣م لرقابة الأطعمة, 2)
Tanzania	“…means any article other than drugs, cosmetics and tobacco used as food or drink for human consumption and includes any substance used in manufacture or treatment of food” (The Tanzania Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics Act, Art. 3)
Tunisia	“…all material or transformed or untransformed product that is intended for eating or chewing or adapted to eating or chewing by man” (قانون عدد 25 لسنة 2019, 4.1)
Uganda	“…includes drink, chewing gum and other products of a like nature and use, and articles and substances used as ingredients in the preparation of food or drink or of such products, but does not include (i) water, live animals or birds; (ii) fodder or feeding stuffs for animals, birds or fish; or (iii) articles or substances used only as drugs” (The Food and Drugs Act, 1)
Zambia	“…includes any article manufactured, sold or represented for use as food or drink for human consumption, chewing gum, and any ingredient of such food, drink or chewing gum” (The Food and Drugs Act, 2)
Zimbabwe	“…means any substance which is, in whole or in part, intended for human consumption or which is intended for entry into, or to be used in the manufacture of, any such substance” (Food and Food Standards Act, 3)

* This part must have been amended since it is no longer part of this Act, ** definition of ‘animal product’.