For Somali’s shopping is not simply filling a basket – when shopping for food, it is a journey of trust, education, and survival. With a significant number of imported goods into the market and many population members paying attention to health, discussions around food safety and expiration dates have increased. It has occurred in situation characterized by uncertainty, trust, curiosity, and cultural eating habits.
Growing Awareness of Food Safety
Times have changed. When my family lived in Somalia many households would often disregard the fine print on packaging. The label would often be in another language, the ink faded, or even blank and hard to tell when the product might have actually expired. But today, more and more Somali consumers, especially in larger cities such as Mogadishu, Garowe, Hargeisa, and Bossaso, are looking for the expiration date and manufacturing information. This was made possible due to social media campaigns, public health, and personal experiences with unsafe food.
Challenges in Reading Labels
While there has been progress, there are still challenges:
• Language concerns: Many imported items contain information in English, Arabic, Turkish and/or French that consumers may not be able to read.
• Faded or altered dates: Unscrupulous merchants may change/alter the labels on expired products and re-distribute them which can confuse or alienate consumers.
• Cultural buying habits: In markets where items change frequently, customers often rely on smell, touch, and visual appearance (not labels) to ascertain what is fresh or not.
How Consumers Verify Food Safety
• Somali Head of Households use creative methods to protect their families:
• Assessing brands: Known brands that have a reputation for quality are often trusted more than unknown brands.
• Evaluating packaging: When shopping, if the packaging has broken seals, strange colors, or dented cans, it is often a red flag.
• Using word of mouth: Family members, friends, and neighbors heavily influence purchasing decisions.
• Testing in small sizes: Some buyers will purchase a small package before buying a larger size. This is often seen with powdered milk, flour, or cooking oil.
Community and Religion
Cultural and religious values also impact food safety practices. Islam encourages cleanliness, truthfulness in trade, and avoiding harm, which resonates with Somali consumers. The community yells who is not trading expired or unsafe food, and refuses to buy from them, across the community
Public Health Concerns
When food is improperly labelled, expired or otherwise, it is not just an economic problem, it is also a public health issue. There are cases of food safety illnesses – especially in children – related to expired dairy products, juices, and canned foods. Enhancing local food safety legislation, frequent inspections and food safety education campaigns are required to protect people’s health..
The Way Ahead
Somali consumers have, on the whole, transitioned from passive shoppers to increasingly informed consumers, demanding greater transparency and accountability from importers, wholesalers, and retailers. The civil society movement, media, and youth-led initiatives are calling for more stringent food safety standards and better labeling.
The Bottom Line
Food safety in Somalia, beyond the label, is about empowerment. Giving everyday people the ability to make informed decisions in a marketplace of risk and trust. Expiry dates are just one piece of the larger picture, but with Somali consumers becoming more vigilant about Turkey and other food issues, it suggests an eventual shift towards a healthier and more responsible food culture.
