Regulatory aspects of aflatoxin control in Zimbabwe: a review

Abstract

Aflatoxins are highly toxic and carcinogenic chemicals produced by fungi of the Aspergillus family. As the fungi may be found growing on virtually all stored agricultural commodities and foodstuffs, many countries have put in place regulations to control the levels of afJatoxins and other mycotoxins that may be found contaminating foodstuffs and stock feeds. Current regulations and aflatoxin control in Zimbabwe is based on a voluntary code of conduct drawn in 1971 which putthe action limit at between 4f,glkg to 20!.glkg aflatoxin G, (AFG,J or Sf,glkg to 2Sf,glk9 aflatoxin B, (AFB1) for human consumption. Any commodity contaminated by Aflatoxin greater than these limits should be used for stock feed and those below these limits could be used for the export market. The 2Sfl9/kg AFB, action limit has been levi sed to 20f'9/kg by the statutory instrument of 1990 under the Food Standard Act of 1971. This paper reviews work that has been done in the past ten years in the monitoring and control of aflatoxin in foodstuffs and feeds. Aflatoxin levels in foods, stock feeds, urine and human milk from a cross section of the population have shown that the population and livestock are exposed to aflatoxin. Disease outbreaks in livestock have also been linked to aflatoxins and other mycotoxins. It is recommended that aflatoxin monitoring be intensified in support of the Food Standards Act and the voluntary code of conduct be made into a legal instrument to control transmission of aflatoxin in the food chain.