Food safety experts want the Government to establish aflatoxin testing labs and kits at parishes to test soils for the presence of aflatoxins before farmers can plant food items.
The move according to their recommendation will reduce the entry of aflatoxins into food items while in the gardens.
The call was made by Prof Achileo Kaaya, during the launch of a report on Aflatoxins in Uganda: Impact on Health, Economic, Policy Gaps and Strategic Interventions in Uganda at Hotel African on Wednesday.
The report event was organized by the National Agriculture Research Organisation (NARO) as part of a week-long activities to commemorate World Safety Day, which is celebrated every 7th of June.
This year’s celebrations are being marked under the Global theme of Food Safety: Science in Action. In Uganda, events will be marked under the theme Securing Safe Food through Innovation: Uganda’s Sciences in Action.
“When the testing centres are stationed at the parish level and equipped with the right machines and technologies, it will be easier for laboratory technicians and also trained farmers to extract the aflatoxins, measure it to ascertain the quantities,” explained Kaaya, the lead author of the report.
He added that knowing the quantities of aflatoxins in the soils will make it easier for one to find a solution that will prevent contamination at the level.
He, however, added that for the recommendation to be effective, the government must invest in specialized technologies and labs for aflatoxin at the parish level.
“We have failed to manage aflatoxins at farm level because aflatoxins exist in very small quantities. To detect them, you have to first extract them from the soil; you must use some chemicals to know the quantities using specialized machines, knowing the level measures that can be employed to manage them,” he said.
Kaaya also called for the formation of groups, where farmers will mobilize resources and invest in aflatoxin testing and detecting machines to produce quality products that they can sell as a group.
He cited the case of Rwanda where such groups were able to acquire aflatoxin testing machines and laboratories, an intervention that has increased the demand for their products in the region and international markets.
That is one of the infrastructures that stakeholders in the food safety sector want to establish in order to manage aflatoxins challenges in Uganda.
Other food safety measures that were recommended by the report include strengthening and enforcing regulations that govern food safety, enhancing monitoring and enforcement of food safety standards, particularly for aflatoxins and chemical residues in addition to increased public awareness through educational campaigns to inform all stakeholders about the risks of aflatoxins and safe food practices among others.
Findings from the report
Kaaya’s recommendation stems from a report that showed that Aflatoxins are potent cancer-causing organisms also known as mycotoxins that contaminate a wide range of Ugandan food crops such as maize, groundnuts, and sorghum.
Contamination happens, especially under humid, poorly controlled storage conditions; according to a 2023 report from the World Health Organisation and a 2019 report from the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries.
And that the toxin is resistant to traditional forms of cooking and can enter the human food chain through animal products and even breastmilk, according to the report that was supported by The Consumer Center Uganda (CONSENT) and the Food Agriculture Organisation and the National Agriculture Research Organisation (NARO).
He explained that acute exposure to high aflatoxin levels can cause rapid liver failure, digestive complications, and death while chronic exposure is linked to liver cancer and other long-term health effects.
“The health burden translates into significant economic costs, with Uganda spending approximately $910,000 annually on aflatoxin-related health services and facing potential economic losses of up to $577 million per year due to trade restrictions,” Kaaya said.
The above findings are part of the bigger picture that indicates that Uganda’s food system is vulnerable to contamination at multiple points, from production to consumption.
Other issues highlighted by the report include gaps in enforcement which has led to an increase in food contamination through biological hazards such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi; physical contaminants like foreign objects and pests, and chemical hazards including pesticide residues and heavy metals among others.
Government intervention
In response to the report, the Minister of State for Agriculture in charge of Animal Husbandry Bright Rwamirama who presided over the launch called for the revival of traditional means of preserving, for example, the groundnuts, that are easily attacked by aflatoxins.
“Traditionally groundnuts were kept in their shells and only opened whenever it was time to unshell. After pounding, these were pounded using the traditional wooden mortar, cooked and served immediately, so there was no issue of aflatoxins,” Rwamirama said.
He also called on those in milk-producing areas to revive the traditional ways of preserving ghee to keep it safe for consumption.
LEAD PHOTO CAPTION: (L-R) Phillip Idro, the Special Advisor Operation Wealth Creation with Bright Rwamirama, the Minister of State for Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Swidiq Mugerw, the deputy Director General National Agricultural Research Organisation and Jean-Marie Byakweli, the Policy and Food Systems Advisor Food and Agriculture Organization during the world food safety day meeting as Bernard Bwambale (below) the Programs Manager at CONSENT organising the board on 4th June 2025. Photo by Nicholas Oneal
