Public educated on Aflatoxins in food crops

The public has been cautioned on the presence of aflatoxins in food crops that could cause cancer in humans and animals.

Mr Derry Dontoh, Head of Mycotoxins and Histamine laboratory of the Ghana Standards Authority was speaking at a day’s sensitisation programme, in Sunyani on aflatoxins to educate the public on the impact and management of aflatoxins to ensure food safety and security.

The programme, jointly organised by the Ghana Standards Authority and Alliance for Green Revolution (AGRA) aimed at increasing the knowledge of the public on Aflatoxins to catalyse and sustain an inclusive Agriculture transformation.

It was attended by farmer groups, Students and the general public and formed part of the National Sensitisation and Management (NASAM) project with targeted interventions to educate and engage the private and public sector on the health and economic risks posed by aflatoxin contamination.

He explained that Aflatoxins were odourless, colourless and flavourless toxins produced by fungi and were commonly found in maize and beans adding that aflatoxins had detrimental effects on human and animal health as well as the general effect on food security. Mr Dontoh mentioned weight loss, liver cancer, supersession of the immune system as some of the common health issues.

Aflatoxins are found in air,water and soil affect Human DNA, cause cancer and could lead to death, he added. He explained that the damage was exacerbated by inadequate number of silo and dry warehouse facilities, leaving most farmers to store their produce in poorly shielded and ventilated barns.

Mr Dontoh stated that the presence of the toxics in food affected export in major commodities from Ghana and such foods were rejected entry into the European union adding that processed food products prepared from contaminated raw materials did not also meet the international regulations and standard governing food safety.

Exporters would lose revenue while the country made economic losses as a result of high aflatoxins contamination levels, he noted saying small scale, farmers did not receive high incomes because of their inability to meet safety standards for access profitable market, he added.

He reiterated that in 2015, the European Union threatened to ban exports commodities including; groundnut, groundnut paste and cereals, if Ghana was unable to reduce the aflatoxin in content in of such commodities.

Mr Dontoh said aflatoxins could be found in foods such as nuts, cereals and derived products, dairy products, poultry, dried fruits, spices, unrefined vegetable oils, cocoa beans with contaminated before and after harvest.

He however stated there were several mitigation measures that could be used to eliminate or reduce the levels Aflatoxin and called on stakeholders to accept such methods to ensure drastic reduction in the menace.