Practice abstract 6
Toolkit for mycotoxin risk assessment
20 July 2025
Background. Mycotoxins pose a significant threat to food safety especially in low-income settings by contaminating staples like maize and groundnuts. Risk assessment plays an important role in understanding the magnitude of the risks attributed to exposure to these hazards via food consumption. To improve food safety and guide evidence-based mitigation strategies, the UP-RISE project validated a risk assessment toolkit originally developed under the H2020 FoodSafety4EU project. Validation used mycotoxin data from public sources, including the WHO’s food safety collaborative platform database.
Objective. The objective is to validate and adapt the FoodSafety4EU toolkit for use in African countries, where food safety challenges —such as inadequate storage, climate conditions, and limited regulatory enforcement— heighten mycotoxin exposure risks. The toolkit integrates mycotoxin occurrence data and food consumption patterns to assess long-term health risks and guide mitigation strategies.
Results. Creation of practical tools for mycotoxin risk assessment and mitigation;
Successful validation of the FoodSafety4EU toolkit for use in AU countries; and
Input for strengthening improved risk assessment frameworks and policy support for food safety.
Recommendations.
Promote the dissemination and adoption of the validated toolkit across AU member states;
Provide continuous training and support for regional risk assessors and stakeholders;
Encourage integration of the toolkit into national food safety programs; and
Capacity-building through partnerships with European and African institutions.
The successful validation of aflatoxin B1 assessment through maize consumption confirms the toolkit’s applicability for other mycotoxins. This toolkit will be applied to evaluate long-term health risks of five mycotoxins (aflatoxin B1, fumonisin B1, ochratoxin A, deoxynivalenol and zearalenone) in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Nigeria, and South-Africa.
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