Aflatoxins: Finding solutions for improved food safety

Researchers, donors, and governments are calling for the scale of the response to the aflatoxin problem to be informed by the scope of the risks involved. While current research establishes that a great deal of the global food supply is at risk, especially in developing countries, information on aflatoxin contamination and potential interventions is far from comprehensive, hindered in large part by a lack of information on the quantitative, geographic, and temporal occurrence of the toxins in various commodities. A set of diagnostic solutions is required that can span the dimensions of both scale (from smallholder farmer bags to large silos) and setting (from smallholder farms and village mills to large commercial mills). Of particular need is a new generation of inexpensive and portable diagnostics for testing on the front lines, particularly at the farm and village mill. These diagnostics must be underpinned both by sampling methods appropriate to developing countries and by reference labs accessible to key partners along the value chain on the ground.