Request for Expressions of Interest (EOI) Individual Consultant Consultancy Services for the Review of Food Safety Legislation in Zimbabwe
Consultancy, Research Jobs
- Expires 30 Oct 2026
- Harare
- Full Time
Job Description
SECTION II: TERMS OF REFERENCE
Background
The MASAP is a multi-country project designed to improve food security, climate resilience
and rural livelihoods for smallholder farmers in Zambia and Zimbabwe. The project is being
implemented collaboratively by NIRAS A/S, Community Technology Development
Organisation, and the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL). The MASAP is
premised on three major pillars: Community Engagement, Private Sector Engagement and
Action Research and Policy.
Phase 1 of the project (2021-2025) rolled out initial activities in the targeted districts which
included Mudzi and Tsholotsho (Zimbabwe) and Sioma and Chipata (Zambia). Currently the
Project is in Phase 2 (2026-2029) with additional wards in Zimbabwe (Bubi and Zaka).
Based on the enabling policy environment and fruitful engagements with government
counterparts especially from the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanization and Water Resources
Development (MAMWRD) in Zimbabwe, the project recognises the crucial role of multiple
players and the need for continued collaborative efforts with clarity of purpose for the different
working groups. In this regard, the project seeks consultancy services for the Review of the
Food Safety Legislation in Zimbabwe to provide insights on food health and safety.
Context
Food safety is a critical global public health issue, with foodborne illnesses identified as one
of the leading causes of mortality worldwide (Mugadza D.T. etal,2025). Food safety is key to
sustaining life and promoting good nutrition and health. Unsafe food threatens human health
and causes the unacceptable status quo in levels of food insecurity, poverty and a range of
health-related problems making national development more challenging. According to the
World Health Organization (WHO) estimate in 2015, 91 million people in Africa fall ill each
year due to food-borne diseases and 137,000 die of the same cause, representing one third of
the global death toll for foodborne diseases. Foodborne illnesses disproportionately affect the
poorest segments of populations. The economic impact of unsafe food is being increasingly
understood. In 2018, the World Bank estimated the cost of unsafe foods reaching about $110
billion in lost productivity and medical expenses each year, particularly to countries in Africa
and Southeast Asia. This estimate is without regard to losses of farms, company sales, foregone trade income and many others. Food safety is an important precondition for access to global food markets, and increasingly, for high-value domestic markets in developing countries.
Therefore, raising food safety and quality standards at par with the rest of the world is
foundational to make Zimbabwean agriculture a competitive and vibrant sector that promotes
trade and agribusiness.
In summary, food safety risks not only pose significant threats to the health of the population
but also the competitiveness of agrobusiness, undermining potential and actual gains to be
made in improving public health, food security and nutrition, as well as thwarting efforts at
boosting trade in agricultural commodities. However, fragmented and scattered responses by different players, with overlapping activities are not going to solve Zimbabwe’s food safety
challenges. The need for better coordination in the sphere of food safety is more apparent today.
Food safety is a multidisciplinary and multi stakeholder effort involving public, private and
nonstate actors which benefits from better coordination.
It would be possible to achieve great impact and efficiency gains by working towards common
and bigger goals set out by a national statute for food safety, leading to an effective coordination
and better collaboration. The strategies will minimize duplication of efforts and help achieve
synergy leveraging on resources and capabilities of different actors. Given the multitude of
strategic options, there is a need for stakeholder consultation, in-depth strategic analysis and
iterative process to develop robust strategies that will contribute to practical implementation of
priority actions across the different sectors by guiding food safety coordination with clear
pathways and end goals. It is in this context that the MASAP is seeking to recruit one Food
Safety Expert to Review the Food Safety legislation in Zimbabwe. The outcome of the research will inform the Aflatoxin Working Group with a view to addressing key challenges in
groundnuts production, processing, value addition, marketing and other issues to ensure food health and safety.
Reviewing the food safety legislation in Zimbabwe presents an opportunity to protect public health, enhance the country's trade potential, and build confidence in both local and
international markets. Sub-standard food products are a common sight in the Zimbabwean
market due to the proliferation of informal food producers, processors and distributors (Gweshe
et al., 2020; Moyo & Moyo, 2020). This raises critical questions about the health and safety
benefits/problems likely to be faced by consumers especially in the trade of value-added products from traditional grains and legumes.
Duties and Responsibilities
The Assignment
1. Objective
The overall objective of the task is to review the current food safety legislation in Zimbabwe
with a view to addressing issues of aflatoxins and other health related matters in traditional
grains and legumes consumption, certification and marketing.
2. Scope of Work and Deliverables
The consultants will be responsible for performing the following tasks:
• Take stock of relevant food safety related legislation, policies and strategies in Zimbabwe.
• Review examples of relevant global best practices which can be incorporated in the context
of Zimbabwe.
• Undertake relevant stakeholder consultations on the priority issues to be addressed by the
reviewed food safety legislation.
• Convene an all-stakeholders meeting to review and validate the draft report.
3. Key Deliverables and timeline
In this regard, the consultants will deliver the following:
• Inception report with detailed methodology and workplan (15 days after signing of the
contract)
• Report of desk review including global best practices on food safety.
• Report of stakeholders’ consultations on the policies and legislation related to food safety.
• A Draft Food Safety legislation
4. Reporting
The Consultants will work under the direct supervision of the Policy and Advocacy Manager
and CTDO Management
Qualifications and Experience
5. Qualifications and Work Experience Required
The Consultant should have at least a Master’s Degree in Public Health, Nutrition, Food Safety
and Health, Medicine, Public Policy and Governance, Law, or other related area with;
• At least 10 years professional experience working in the field of food safety.
• Demonstrated experience in policy development and analysis (at least 3 previous
assignments);
• Traceable reference of accomplished tasks will be an added value;
• Experience in facilitating stakeholder engagements/workshops
7. Evaluation Criteria
1. Academic Qualifications – 10 points
* A minimum of a Master’s Degree in Public Health, Biological Sciences, Nutrition, Food Safety, Analytical Chemistry, or other related area.
* A PhD in Food Safety, Governance, Agronomy, Public Health, or other related areas will be an added advantage.
2. Professional Experience – 20 points
- At least ten (10) years of professional experience working in the field of food safety.
3. Previous Assignments – 10 points
- At least three (3) previous assignments related to policy development and analysis.
4. Stakeholder Engagement – 20 points
- Experience in facilitating stakeholder engagements/workshops.
5. Communication Skills – 10 points
- Excellent written communication skills in English and knowledge of local languages.
Technical Approach and Methodology
6. Understanding of the Assignment – 30 points
- Understanding of the assignment as described in the Terms of Reference (ToRs).
Total: 100 points
How to Apply
REF: CONSULTANCY SERVICES FOR THE REVIEW OF FOOD SAFETY LEGISLATION
IN ZIMBABWE
1. Community Technology Development Organisation (CTDO) invites qualified individual consultants
to submit Expressions of Interest (EOIs) for the consultancy services to review food safety legislation
in Zimbabwe. The assignment falls under the Markets and Seed Access Project (MASAP), which is
being implemented in Zimbabwe by CTDO, FiBL and NIRAS, with support from the Swedish Agency
for Development and Cooperation (SDC). The scope of the assignment and the required qualifications
are detailed in the attached Terms of Reference (ToR).
2. The Consultant will be selected in accordance with the evaluation criteria and procedures specified
in the relevant section of this Expressions of Interest document.
3. Interested consultants are required to submit the following documents:
(i) A cover letter outlining their understanding of the assignment and the proposed methodology for
undertaking the consultancy.
(ii) A detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV) demonstrating relevant qualifications, professional experience
and experience in undertaking similar assignments.
4. Expressions of Interest must be submitted by email to admin@ctdo.org.zw with a copy to
fred@ctdo.org.zw. The subject line of the email must read:
Consultancy Services for the Review of Food Safety Legislation in Zimbabwe
5. The deadline for submission of Expressions of Interest is 30 October 2026 at 1700 hours, Harare
time. Late submissions will not be considered.
6. This Request for Expressions of Interest comprises the following sections:
Section I: This Letter of Invitation
Section II: Terms of Reference
