Mycotoxin regulatory status in Africa: a decade of weak institutional efforts
Please always quote using this URN: urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-278941
- 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 haveFood 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.…
Author: | Cynthia Adaku Chilaka, Jude Ejikeme Obidiegwu, Augusta Chinenye Chilaka, Olusegun Oladimeji Atanda, Angela Mally |
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URN: | urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-278941 |
Document Type: | Journal article |
Faculties: | Medizinische Fakultät / Institut für Pharmakologie und Toxikologie |
Language: | English |
Parent Title (English): | Toxins |
ISSN: | 2072-6651 |
Year of Completion: | 2022 |
Volume: | 14 |
Issue: | 7 |
Article Number: | 442 |
Source: | Toxins (2022) 14:7, 442. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins14070442 |
DOI: | https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins14070442 |
Dewey Decimal Classification: | 6 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften / 61 Medizin und Gesundheit / 610 Medizin und Gesundheit |
6 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften / 66 Chemische Verfahrenstechnik / 660 Chemische Verfahrenstechnik | |
Tag: | food safety; food security; fungi; legislation; mycotoxin |
Release Date: | 2023/05/22 |
Date of first Publication: | 2022/06/29 |
Licence (German): | CC BY: Creative-Commons-Lizenz: Namensnennung 4.0 International |