REGULATING AFLATOXIN CONTAMINATION IN FOOD PRODUCTS BY RAYMOND N. WIGENGE Director of Food Safety Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority

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REGULATING AFLATOXIN CONTAMINATION IN FOOD
PRODUCTSBY RAYMOND N. WIGENGEDirector of
Food Safety Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority
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Outline of the presentation

• Introduction
• Establishment, roles and responsibilities of TFDA
• Mission and Vision statements
• Risks associated with aflatoxin contamination
• Regulatory measures being taken to mitigate
  effects associated with aflatoxins
• Gaps in regulation of aflatoxin contamination
• Concluding remarks

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1.0 Introduction

• Provision of safe food is basic right to all
  humans
• Tanzania like many other governments is
  regulating food safety for purpose of protecting
  the health of consumers
• There are different Ministries with roles having
  bearing on safety of food (from farm to folk)
• Food safety for purpose of human protection falls
  under the Ministry responsible for health.
• Under the Ministry of Health, TFDA was
  established to enforce the Tanzania Food, Drugs
  and Cosmetics Act No. 1 of 2003.
• The Act is geared at among other things
  protection of food consumers against hazards
  associated with food

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Mission and vision statements

• Mission
• To protect and promote public health by
  regulating the safety, quality and effectiveness
  of food, medicines, cosmetics and medical
  devices.
• Vision
• To be the leading African Regulatory Authority
  in ensuring safe, quality and effective food,
  medicines, cosmetics and medical devices for all.

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Risks associated with aflatoxin contamination

• Majority of Tanzanians consume cereals as staple
  foods. Some consume tubers and roots.
• Unfortunately cereals are more vulnerable to
  fungal infestation and mycotoxins contamination
• The magnitude of aflatoxin contamination is not
  well known and therefore the level of exposure to
  consumers is not known too.
• Food consume may be exposed to risks associated
  with aflatoxins through consumptions of
  contaminated food (from crops) or animal products
  from animals consumed aflatoxin contaminated
  feeds
• Majority of people consume cereals produced by
  households therefore not regulated

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Risks associated with aflatoxin contamination
continued.

• Aflatoxins have acute and chronic.
• Health effects include liver cancer,
  immunosupression, malnutrition
• Aflatoxin poisoning which can cause deaths

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Basis for Regulating Aflatoxins

• Factors that influence decision-making in setting
  limits for aflatoxin include
• Exposure assessment
• Analytical methodology.
• Economic factors, such as commercial and trade
  interests and food security issues.

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Regulatory measures being taken to mitigate
effects associated with aflatoxins

• Prescription of MLs based on national or
  international standards. Eg. MLs for aflatoxins
  (5 ppb B1 and 10 ppb total aflatoxins)
• Regulation of foods takes into account national
  or international standards for both locally and
  imported products) eg. Registration of
  pre-packaged products
• Conducting research on status of aflatoxin
  contamination in cereals, nuts, tubers and roots
  (exposure assessment)
• Providing data to WHO/FAO JECFA for
  setting/review of MLs

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Regulatory measures being taken to mitigate
effects associated with aflatoxins.

• Established food risk department for carrying out
  exposure assessment
• Conducting food inspection in storage facilities,
  transport, manufacturing and registration of
  warehouses for registration or checking
  compliance
• Provision of education and information
• Collaboration among different players along the
  food chain

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Challenges

• Weak capacity to conduct exposure assessment
• Lack of field test kits for screening aflatoxin
  contamination in both pre-packaged and non
  pre-packaged foods
• Weak linkage between different players along the
  food chain
• Limited information and education to various
  stakeholders

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Concluding remarks

• The challenge of determining the level of
  exposure to the majority of the people consuming
  especially foods produced by households for their
  own consumption is enormous in terms of capacity
  and resources, therefore more effort is required
  in addressing the problem
• Since addressing problems of aflatoxin
  contaminated foods involves different players
  along the food chain, coordination and
  cooperation among actors along the food chain is
  one of the ways of mitigating effects associated
  with aflatoxin contamination