Food Safety crusaders call for mass sensitisation against Aflatoxins

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Members of the Food Safety coalition of Uganda have called for mass sensitisation of the masses about the dangers of aflatoxins to ensure that food coming from the farm to the market is safe for consumption.

Their call follows findings from a report, titled Aflatoxins in Uganda: Health and Economic Impacts, Policy Gaps and Strategic Interventions for Sustainable Food Safety, that showed an increase in foodborne diseases due to poorly handled food items.

According to the report, Food safety in Uganda remains a critical public health and economic concern, with foodborne diseases affecting an estimated 1.3 million people annually, according to the 2021 report from the Ministry of Health.

The coalition chairman, Henry Kimera, further noted that Hazards in the food supply chain are transmitted through many ways, including through biological, chemical, and physical contact. And that among these are aflatoxins, which are naturally occurring toxins produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus.

They made the call on Wednesday during the launch of the report that was authored by the team at the Food Safety Coalition of Uganda, led by Prof Archileo Natigo Kaaya from Makerere University Department of Food Technology and Nutrition, Henry Richard Kimera, team leader CONSENT-Uganda, Benard Bwambale from the Food Safety Coalition secretariat and Aggrey Atuhaire from the Food and Agriculture Organisation. 

Agnes Kirabo, the executive director of Food Rights Alliance and a member of the Food Safety Coalition, called for the translation of information on aflatoxins into local languages.

“But also break this information further into images and animations for people who cannot read to understand the message. It should also be made sensational so as to appeal to the emotions and spark action,” she said.

Godfrey Bogere from a grain aggregator from the private sector, called for sensitisation through farmer groups so that they can police each other.

(L-R) Bright Rwamirama, the Minister of State for Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, speaking during the World Food Safety Day meeting on June 4, 2025. (Photo by Nicolas Oneal)

Their call was supported by the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Bright Rwamirma, who called for gradual sensitisation of people to understand the dangers of poor food handling and how to safely handle food.

Rwamirama also reiterated the government's commitment to safeguarding the health of the masses through strengthening policy frameworks, and supporting the Uganda National Bureau of Standards and NARO to manage the challenge.

"I am happy with the progress that Uganda is making in biocontrol technology into a game changer in the fight against aflatoxin. Through the leadership of NARO, we are harnessing the power of non-toxic native fungi to suppress harmful aflatoxin strains in our fields. This innovation has the potential to reduce contamination, improve public health, unlock markets and boost Uganda’s competitiveness on the global stage,” he said.

Apart from an increase in foodborne diseases, the report also showed the health and economic impact of aflatoxins on Nature, Health and the economic impact.

On health, the report showed that acute exposure to high aflatoxin levels can cause rapid liver failure, digestive complications, and death, while chronic exposure is strongly linked to liver cancer and other long-term health effects.

The Food Safety coalition adds that the health burden of aflatoxins translates into 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 and reduced productivity.

Although there are ongoing efforts to address the challenge as highlighted by the Minister, and other stakeholders, authors of the report said that enforcement of the regulations in relation to food safety remains weak and called for investments in innovative control measures and capacity building for the technical people to ably manage the challenges.