Improving Food Safety in Africa

Improving Food Safety in Africa

Prof. Bradley C. FlettPresident of the African Society of Mycotoxicology

Senior Researcher (Plant Pathologist)Agricultural Research Council (South Africa)

Grain Crops Institute

African Society of Mycotoxicology

Committee members of the newly established ASMPresident of ASM: Prof. Bradley Flett ([email protected])

President of ISM: Dr. Antonio LogriecoVice President: Prof. Sheila Okoth

Treasurer: Dr. Hanneke Alberts, Secretary: Prof. Olusegun Atanda, Additional members: Dr. Juliet Akello, Dr. Benoit Gnonlonfin, Prof. Essam Ibraheem

ASM Symposium

ISM initiates the newly formed ASM

•MYCORED Africa Conference Cape Town 4-6 April 2011•MYCORED resulted in the initiation of the African Network on Mycotoxicology•The 1st African Symposium on Mycotoxicology was organized under the auspices of the ISM by Prof. Altus Viljoen (Stellenbosch University) and Prof. Sheila Okoth (University of Nairobi)•This highly successful meeting was held in Livingstone, Zambia from the 26-28 May 2015 and attended by 80 delegates•This meeting was a platform to constitute the African Society of Mycotoxicology

Objectives of the ASM•Promote research on mycotoxins and toxigenic fungi to reduce human and animal mycotoxin exposure and enhance food safety, increase public awareness and capacity building•Promote and improve effective networking and increase collaboration between all persons concerned with the mycotoxin threat in Africa•ASM will work together with key organizations and Societies internationally and within Africa to reduce the African mycotoxin threat •Gathering and disseminating information on Mycotoxicology throughout Africa•Providing opportunities for mycotoxicologists to meet and exchange information of mutual scientific interest every three years at the ASM Symposium

ASM Symposium (2015)Summary of ASM SymposiumTotal of 55 oral presentations and 12 posters5 invited papers on mycotoxins in different regions of Africa – Focus on all mycotoxinsMany papers covered broad spectrum of mycotoxinsAflatoxins specifically were discussed in 15 papers and 4 postersAs aflatoxins are Africa’s primary mycotoxin threat one would have expected more!!

Conclusion of Symposium

Broke up into three groups to identify constraints for mycotoxin research and potential solutions: Policies, regulatory aspects and markets Capacity building, networking and fundingAwareness, prevention and management of mycotoxins

Many of the concerns raised at this meeting are very similar to various other mycotoxin meetings I have attended dating back to the Mycoglobe International Conference on “Reducing impact of mycotoxins in tropical agriculture with impact on health and trade in Africa” in Ghana 2005. In almost 10 years the very same concerns have not been adequately addressed.

Regulation, policies and markets

Regulation:Lack of accredited laboratories – translates to regulation enforcement challengesLack of enforcement capacity to handle food safety (including mycotoxins) Lack of co-ordination (national and continental)Risk assessment capacity for African countries (daily intake levels) Need for evidence informed regulatory limits Food security vs Food safetySubsistence farmers vs Commercial scale producers


Policies:Need for co-ordinating body for food safety in AfricaHarmonisation of regulation limits based on risk assessmentsMany countries have no food safety policies – need to be addressedAlternative use of contaminated material – avoid it re-entering the food

chainInclusion of mycotoxin safety in product labellingPolicy on contaminated crop replacements


Markets:How to deal with informal domestic marketsRegulation of informal markets?Limited consumer awareness regarding mycotoxins.

Potential solutions regarding regulation, policies and markets

Develop both infrastructure and human capacity to empower African researchers to work within the constraints they have

Dialogue with governments regarding mycotoxinsPoliciesRegulatory limitsRegulation enforcement

Certification of aflatoxin free/low products – Aflatoxin-free trademark?Incentives to farmers producing quality products Sensitised awareness – all role players

Capacity Building (human and infrastructure), networking and funding

Human capacity:Inadequate competencies for African research conditionsPoor communication of research opportunitiesMany students trained in extremely sophisticated labs which does not

mirror the labs in their home countries – frustrationsLoss of African Scientists Improved recognition for African scientists

Potential solutions regarding human capacity building in Africa

Training people for mycotoxin analysis and maintenance of equipmentIdentify the need and improve the competency of analysts throughout

AfricaTraining trainers – analysts, extension services and research staff Maintaining African scientists in Africa for AfricaImproved recognition for African scientists and extension officers inputsEmpower people through ownership – not meagre technicians!!


Infrastructure capacity:Under-resourced laboratories (equipment)Inappropriate equipmentPoor knowledge of available infrastructure in AfricaPoor maintenance (in-lab and supplier support)Equipment positioned in inappropriate locations –funders and policies

Potential solutions regarding equipment capacity building in Africa

Acquisition of appropriate equipment or link researchers to Institutes with appropriate equipment

Funding Establish regional or reference labs with qualified personnel eg. aBecA-ILRI Hub, ILRI, Nairobi, Kenya

Survey and inventory of available Infrastructure in AfricaImprove equipment maintenance


Networking:Poor networking with limited opportunities in AfricaPoor communication between research groups in different countries

AfricaCompetition between funding agenciesLack of opportunities – African congresses and symposiaFunding of African scientists to attend congresses and symposiaInventory of what is being done where?

Potential solutions regarding networking in Africa

ASM, PACA etc play an important role in improving networking in Africa but is this adequate?

Funding and sponsorships of meetingsASM to still set up website and will link to other existing mycotoxin related links

Improve communications via new and existing communication technologies


Funding:Limited or lack of fundingPoor awareness of potential funding opportunitiesPrioritisation of interventions for limited fundingPrimarily reliant on international funding agencies

Potential solutions regarding funding in Africa

International and local collaborationsOptimise existing capacityAwareness of funding opportunitiesPrioritise interventions needed for each scenario

Awareness, prevention and management of mycotoxins

Awareness:Inadequate focus on target populations (entire value chain)Inadequate interactions through value chainImprove communication methodsPossibility to create unnecessary panic situation

Potential solutions improving mycotoxin awareness in Africa

Define target populations/persons in the entire value chainBe sensitive to peoples reactions to awareness programsRole-players in value chain must assist in awareness programsCommunication methods (radio, open days, institutions, extension services, leader awareness and cell phone technologies)

Inter-society/institution networks – mouthpieceGet policy makers and media involved to draw attention to mycotoxin threats


Prevention:Lack of knowledge and access to application of technologiesLack of adequate survey and weather data for predictionsLack of incentives to apply control measures?Food insecurity – primary foods and social dogmas on food preferenceImpacts of climate changePolitical will to ameliorate farmers losses

Potential solutions for improving mycotoxin prevention in Africa

Training and capacity buildingMake important information available to value chain playersCreation and implementation of integrated mycotoxin control interventions – no silver bullet approach will be sustainable

Develop integrated management systems for various value chain scenarios

Government mindset and interventionImprove research and extension functions


Management:Cost of mycotoxin testing for farmers and other role-players in the value chain

Poor value chain arrangement (consumption before being regulated)

High cost of surveillance and monitoringLack of political will to fund and put resources into managementLimited capacity

Potential solutions for improving mycotoxin management in Africa

Partnerships and collaborationsNeed for cheaper reliable screening kitsRegional extension laboratoriesInventory of management practices used in AfricaAlternative uses for contaminated grain?Development of region or farm specific Integrated Management Systems for entire value chain

Conclusions

Improved food safety in Africa:Needs government buy in and extent of problem needs to be determined and

highlighted to decision makersNeeds farmer buy in and a financial premium for better quality products is neededAbovementioned concerns and solutions are all linkedDevelopment of area and farm specific IDM systemsCommunication of available technologiesPotential research questions keep arisingConcern: Focus on aflatoxins but what about synergistic effects of other mycotoxins –

SA/Kenya researchMainstreaming food safety programs in the education system throughout Africa

Acknowledgements

Firstly Francois for his visit to the ARC which got me involved in this meetingPAEPARD for bringing me to Brussels all the way from South AfricaMy colleagues at the ARC that keep the flag flying while I am not in officeMy ASM committee members and all Symposium attendants for your inputs into our

presentationMeshack Obonyo for the beautiful photographs Finally thanks to the audience and hope to see more of you at the next ASM Symposium in 2018

Presentations & Public Speaking

Improving Food Safety in Africa