Food security and food safety Food Security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active (productive) and healthy life (World Food Summit, 1996. In: FAO 2006. Policy Brief). Food safety: microbial contaminants and chemical toxicants below tolerance levels (Kramer, 1990. Southern J. Agric. Economics, 33-40). Factors that affect food safety Presence of microorganisms (bacteria, yeast, fungi, viruses) (Christensen, 1973, Seed Sci. Technol. 1: 547-562) Presence of physical materials Toxin production (Miller et al., 1995, J. Stored Prod. Res. 31: 1-16; Shephard, 2008, Chem. Soc. Rev. 37: 2468-2477) among others by fungi Aspergillus spp, Fusarium spp and Penicillium spp (Pitt, 2000, Med. Mycol. 38: 17-22

1. THE 10th AFRICAN DAIRY CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION
NAIROBI, KENYA, SEPTEMBER 24TH-26TH 2014
Aflatoxins: impacts on dairy production and
trade
Gbemenou Joselin Benoit Gnonlonfin, PhD
(Technical Advisor, PACA/DREA/AUC)

2. Background
• Food security aanndd food safety
– Food Security exists when all people, at all times,
have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe
and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and
food preferences for an active (productive) and
healthy life (World Food Summit, 1996. In: FAO 2006. Policy Brief).
– Food safety: microbial contaminants and chemical
toxicants below tolerance levels (Kramer, 1990. Southern J.
Agric. Economics, 33-40).

3. Background (cont.)
• Factors tthhaatt aaffffeecctt ffoooodd ssaaffeettyy
– PPrreesseennccee ooff mmiiccrroooorrggaanniissmmss ((bbaacctteerriiaa,, yyeeaasstt,, fungi,,
vviirruusseess)) ((CChhrriisstteennsseenn,, 11997733,, SSeeeedd SSccii.. TTeecchhnnooll.. 11:: 554477--556622))
– PPrreesseennccee ooff pphhyyssiiccaall mmaatteerriiaallss
– TTooxxiinn pprroodduuccttiioonn ((MMiilllleerr eett aall..,, 11999955,, JJ.. SSttoorreedd PPrroodd.. RReess.. 3311:: 11--1166;;
SShheepphhaarrdd,, 22000088,, CChheemm.. SSoocc.. RReevv.. 3377:: 22446688--22447777)) aammoonngg ootthheerrss bbyy
ffuunnggii
• AAssppeerrggiilllluuss sspppp,, FFuussaarriiuumm sspppp aanndd PPeenniicciilllliiuumm sspppp ((PPiitttt,,
22000000,, MMeedd.. MMyyccooll.. 3388:: 1177--2222))

4. Background (cont.)
• Physical aassppeeccttss ooff iinnffeecctteedd
ffoooodd iitteemm
– DDiissccoolloorraattiioonn
– MMoollddyy ttaassttee
– PPrroodduuccttiioonn ooff ooffff ooddoorr
– PPrroodduuccttiioonn ooff mmyyccoottooxxiinn::
aaffllaattooxxiinn
Infected groundnut grain
Infected maize cob

5. Background (end)
• Apparently good food for human
consumption
• Bad food mostly for animals feed (e.g dairy
cattle)
• Acute toxicity: death losses of cattle
consuming moldy corn was reported in the
United States
• Chronic toxicity: transfer of mycotoxin
(aflatoxin) in food-producing animals

6. TRANSFER FACTORS IN FOOD-PRODUCING ANIMALS

8. TRANSFER FACTORS IN FOOD-PRODUCING ANIMALS

9. Impacts on dairy industry (1)
• AFB1 is rapidly absorbed in the
digestive tract and primarily
metabolized by liver enzymes,
converting it to AFM1, which is
then excreted in milk and urine.
• Toxic metabolites can be
excreted in milk and cause public
health concern and have the most
significant impact to the dairy
industry

10. Impacts on dairy industry (2)
• Barriers to regional intra-regional and international
trade is sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS)
measures.
– Lack of a harmonized approach to SPS issues
– Lack of information
– SPS capacity is uneven amongst countries.
• Countries with weaker SPS (aflatoxin) capacity will
find it more difficult to trade with countries where
SPS capacity is stronger.
• Uneven trade relationships will tend to widen if SPS
barriers (aflatoxin) are not addressed

11. Incentives
In developed world
•Removing crops with unacceptable aflatoxin
contents from both foods and feeds
•Crops are destroyed in order to prevent human
exposure
•Contaminated crops - to alternative uses: e.g.
oil production, fuel, detoxified using binders

12. Challenges for Africa
• Small scale farmers
• Inadequate pre- and post harvest technologies
• Unaffordable management technologies
• Absence of robust epidemiological system across Africa (acute
and chronic toxicity: humans and animals)
• Absence/weak food safety policy and consumers awareness
program
• Absence/weak of quality control practices along value chain
• Absence of appropriate diagnostic and trained personnel
• Alternatives uses
• Climate change
• Tackle the problem: inter-disciplinary approach, national, regional,
international collaboration, mainstreaming in policies and programs,
resources and investment in projects food safety and access to markets

13. Conclusions
• Aflatoxin continues to be a significant problem
in Africa and has enormous economic
consequences on commodity losses, health and
trade, especially where it is unregulated.
• Contamination is proving to be a major barrier
in linking African farmers (dairy industry) to
markets - international, regional and inter-regional
and local regulations and standards
governing agricultural trade and food safety.

14. Controlling mycotoxin (aflatoxin) is key
When mycotoxin (aflatoxin) is present in
feed optimal performance cannot be
achieved!
To get the best performance increase
anti-stress compatibility by controlling
aflatoxin in feed

15. Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa
(PACA)
• Mission: improve the effectiveness and efficiency of
governments to tackle the aflatoxin challenge in Africa (forge
strong partnerships and work jointly with other key
stakeholders)
• Roles:
– Convener: Organize inter-regional, regional, and country convenings to support
governmental needs
– Knowledge Manager: Gather existing evidence, develop new materials to fill
gaps, and disseminate information
– Financial Resources Provider: Only fund consultants for evidence generation,
technical assistance and capacity building for governments, and aflatoxin testing
equipment to support country plans
• Basically PACA plays a technical assistance role

16. Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa (PACA)
• Continental activities – Mainstream aflatoxin in continental
frameworks, support inter-regional convenings, and serve as the
knowledge exchange hub for the continent on aflatoxin
• Regional activities – By supporting the RECs, the Secretariat will help
to: mainstream alfatoxin into regional frameworks, support regional
convenings, support REC implementation of government capacity
building, and enable the development of structured trading systems
• Country level activities – The Secretariat and RECs will jointly support
the development of country plans, align stakeholders to the plans, and
support gov’ts to execute plans by building capacity and monitoring
progress
• Five countries pilot programs will be supported for 5 years. At the end
of year 3, the Secretariat and RECs should review progress, identify
learnings, and consider available funding before scaling the program

17. Scale to a continental level

18. Take away messages
① Africa is at a critical moment. If we do not
act now the long term costs will be
staggering
② It is invest now or pay forever