Aflatoxins Challenge in Tanzania

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Aflatoxins Challenge in Tanzania
Dr. Martin E. Kimanya Nelson Mandela African
Institution of Science and Technology

• Regional Workshop on the Aflatoxin Challenge in
  Eastern and Southern Africa, Lilongwe-Malawi,
  11-13 March 2014

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Occurrence aflatoxins in cereal and oil crop
harvests of 1987 and 1988 in Tanzania
Crop No of Samples Positive samples() Samples above ML ()
Maize 472 11.2 52.8
Groundnuts 202 50.0 90.1
Sunflower seed oil 129 28.6 71.4
ML 20 µg/kg
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Occurrence aflatoxins in other foods in Tanzania

• Aflatoxin M1 in cows milk, determined in 92 of
  samples at levels ranging from 0.0050.855 µg/kg
• Aflatoxin B1 in Fish, at levels ranging from 7-19
  µg/kg
• Aflatoxin B1 in opaque beer, at 10-50 µg/L

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Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in breast milk occurrence,
percentage of the milk exceeding EU MLs
Lactation stage Lactation stage Lactation stage
M1 M3 M5
Number of samples 144 122 121
Range (ng/ml) 0.01 - 0.55 0.01 - 0.47 0.01 - 0.34
Median (ng/ml) 0.07 0.08 0.08
exceeding 0.025ng/mla 96 91 96
a EU limit for AFM1 contamination in infants
food
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Prevalence and levels of AF-alb in young children
Survey point Prevalence () Mean Level (pg/ml)
Recruitment 67 4.7
6 months after recruitment 84 12.9
12 months after recruitment 99 23.5

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What are the potential solutions for aflatoxin
control in Tanzania

• The Tanzania performs a country and economic
  assessment in 2012 with PACA support
• Tanzanian stakeholders came together at the
  aflatoxin stakeholders workshop (co-organized by
  TFDA and Abt Associates)
• Actions plans that support adoption of the
  priority control strategies were sketched out
• The National Forum for Mycotoxins Control, with a
  supporting steering committee

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Priority Control Strategies for Agriculture

• Continue to measure, test, and assess the scale
  of the problem
• Promote and make available good
  agricultural/management practices
• Develop bio-control for Tanzania, keeping in mind
  the cost implications for poorer farmers
• Continue research efforts for breeding maize,
  groundnuts, and other crops for mycotoxin
  resistance, for availability in the longer time
  horizon

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Priority Control Strategies for Trade

• Shape the marketplace to improve awareness of the
  presence and risks of aflatoxin in the food and
  feed system and create market-based incentives
  for safer food
• Improve the formaulation and application of
  standards relating to aflatoxins in domestic
  markets
• Improve policies and procedures for product
  withdrawal
• Improve suitability for commerce or trade of
  susceptible products.

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Priority Control Strategies for Public Health

• Promote proper food handling, processing, and
  preparation to reduce mycotoxin contamination
• Achieve universal vaccinations for HBV since
  liver cancer risk is 30 times higher in
  HBV-positive populations
• Routinely monitor mycotoxins in cereal-based
  weaning foods

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Priority Control Strategies for Policy Reform

• Recommend review and finalization of various
  policies eg. (1) National Food Security Policy,
  (2) National Food Safety Policy, (3) National
  Nutrition Policy
• Coordinate with relevant ministries and
  institutions and propose mycotoxin levels for
  feed
• Ensure that priority strategies and action plans
  are included in the business plans of relevant
  departments and institutions within line
  ministries

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Priority Control Strategies for Policy Reform

• Raise awareness from the community level up to
  the decision makers
• Support more research to fill the current gaps in
  aflatoxin prevalence
• Develop and agree on a data collection protocol
  and require that results from research conducted
  in Tanzania be shared with the national
  government and entered into a centralized
  database

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Thank you