Aflatoxins: Finding Solutions for Improved Food Safety

Aflatoxins Finding Solutions for Improved food safety

edited by Laurian Unnevehr and Delia Grace

November 2013. 62 pages.

The nineteen briefs in this set thus provide different perspectives on aflatoxin risks and solutions. The analyses fall under four broad themes: (1) what is known about the health risks from aflatoxins; (2) how to overcome market constraints to improved aflatoxin control by building new market channels and incentives; (3) what is the international policy context for taking action in developing countries; and (4) what is the state of research on new aflatoxin control technologies, including new methods for aflatoxin detection, crop breeding, biological control, food storage and handling, and postharvest mitigation.

1. Tackling Aflatoxins: An Overview of Challenges and Solutions
2. Aflatoxicosis: Evidence from Kenya
3. Aflatoxin Exposure and Chronic Human Diseases: Estimates of Burden of Disease
4. Child Stunting and Aflatoxins
5. Animals and Aflatoxins
6. Managing Mycotoxin Risks in the Food Industry: The Global Food Security Link
7. Farmer Perceptions of Aflatoxins: Implications for Intervention in Kenya
8. Market-led Aflatoxin Interventions: Smallholder Groundnut Value Chains in Malawi
9. Aflatoxin Management in the World Food Programme through P4P Local Procurement
10. Reducing Aflatoxins in Africa’s Crops: Experiences from the Aflacontrol Project
11. Cost-Effectiveness of Interventions to Reduce Aflatoxin Risk
12. Trade Impacts of Aflatoxin Standards
13. Codex Standards: A Global Tool for Aflatoxin Management
14. The Role of Risk Assessment in Guiding Aflatoxin Policy
15. Mobilizing Political Support: Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa
16. Biological Controls for Aflatoxin Reduction
17. Managing Aflatoxin Contamination of Maize: Developing Host Resistance
18. Reducing Aflatoxins in Groundnuts through Integrated Management and Biocontrol
19. Improving Diagnostics for Aflatoxin Detection

These briefs collectively provide a much clearer picture of the state of current efforts at combatting aflatoxins. They also identify what gaps loom particularly large—including the need for contry-specific risk analysis and for testing integrated solutions for the entire supply chain—in our global efforts to effectively reduce human exposure to aflatoxins and increase the economic returns to smallholders in agriculture.

5 November 2013. Washington.
14 November 2013. Nairobi launch.
IFPRI’s 2020 Vision Initiative and the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health invited Laurian Unnevehr and Delia Grace to convene a group of global experts to prepare 19 policy briefs focused on what can be done to reduce the detrimental impacts of aflatoxins.

Speakers at the event provided address challenges and solutions, with a focus on market and policy options to combat aflatoxins and improve food safety.

Presentation by Rajul Pandya-Lorch, IFPRI

Presentation by Laurian Unnevehr, IFPRI 

Aflatoxins: Finding Solutions for Improved Food Safety Presentation by Laurian Unnevehr from International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Presentation by David Crean, Mars Inc. 

Aflatoxins: Finding Solutions for Improved Food Safety by David Crean from International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Presentation by Sheryl Schneider, World Food Programme 

Aflatoxins: Finding Solutions for Improved Food Safety by Sheryl Schneider from International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Presentation by Andrew Emmott, Twin & Twin Trading 

Aflatoxins: Finding Solutions for Improved Food Safety by Andrew Emmott from International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Question and Answer session at the IFPRI Policy Seminar, 

More information
2020 Focus briefs
Blog story: Launch of aflatoxin briefs
Blog story: Incentivizing aflatoxin control

Published on 30 Oct 2013
Interview with Senior Research Fellow, Laurian Unnevehr, on the release of the IFPRI 2020 Focus briefs, "Aflatoxins - finding solutions for improved food safety" recorded October 29, 2013.