Mycotoxin Regulatory Status in Africa: A Decade of Weak Institutional Efforts

Abstract

Food safety problems are a major hindrance to achieving food security, trade, and healthy living in Africa. Fungi and their secondary metabolites, known as mycotoxins, represent an important concern in this regard. Attempts such as agricultural, storage, and processing practices, and creation of awareness to tackle the menace of fungi and mycotoxins have yielded measurable outcomes especially in developed countries, where there are comprehensive mycotoxin legislations and enforcement schemes. Conversely, most African countries do not have mycotoxin regulatory limits and even when available, are only applied for international trade. Factors such as food insecurity, public ignorance, climate change, poor infrastructure, poor research funding, incorrect prioritization of resources, and nonchalant attitudes that exist among governmental organisations and other stakeholders further complicate the situation. In the present review, we discuss the status of mycotoxin regulation in Africa, with emphasis on the impact of weak mycotoxin legislations and enforcement on African trade, agriculture, and health. Furthermore, we discuss the factors limiting the establishment and control of mycotoxins in the region.

Keywords: food safety; food security; fungi; legislation; mycotoxin.

Figure 1

EU rejection of African products (groundnut and groundnut products, bitter almond, mixed spices, chilli powder, melon seed, suya pepper) due to mycotoxin contamination from 2005 to 2020. Source: RASFF Online Database. Others include countries (DR Congo, Congo, Angola, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Tanzania, and Uganda) that each had one EU rejection between 2005 and 2020.