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 Ministry of Health report

Hazards in the food supply chain are multifaceted, encompassing biological, chemical and physical threats.

The food system continues to face significant threats from Aflatoxin naturally occurring toxins produced by certain fungi that infect staple crops such as maize and ground nut.

These invisible yet deadly toxins are linked to cancer, suppressing immunity, childhood stunting and have caused Uganda to lose access to key export markets due to contamination.

As such scientists from the National Agricultural Research Organisation Naro in partnership with development partners are devising means to come up with technologies which can help solve the challenge right from farmer fields during planting all through to post harvest handling.

Background

In a report by Food Coalition Uganda about Aflatoxins in Uganda; Health and economic impacts, policy gaps and strategic interventions for sustainable food safety, it’s stated that

Uganda’s food system is vulnerable to contamination at multiple points, from production to consumption.

Biological hazards such as pathogenic bacteria, viruses and fungi including physical contaminants like foreign objects and pests and chemical hazards including pesticide residues and heavy metals, all compromise food safety. 

It is further stated that gaps persist in regulatory enforcement, capacity for surveillance and public awareness, exacerbated by inadequate infrastructure and traditional food handling practices.

Against this background in line with the 2025 World Food Safety Day due on June 7^th 2025 with the theme “Food safety, science in action” scientist at Naro are spearheading scientifically validated efforts to control threats caused to food safety.

One of the measures is using biocontrol products which are none toxic, native to fungi that outcompete aflatoxin producing strains.

This approach offers a safe and cost effective pathways to reduce food contamination and enhanced food safety.

The scientists are addressing this challenge in collaboration with Food and Agriculture Organisation and Consent Uganda where they launched the report in meeting in Kampala recently.

Aflatoxin measures highlighted in the report

The report is compiled by Bwambale Benard of Food Safety Coalition Uganda, Prof. Archileo Natigo Kaaya, Makerere University Department of Food Technology and Nutrition, Henry Richard Kimera of CONSENT-Uganda and Aggrey Atuhaire of Food and Agriculture OrganisationAflatoxins:

Nature, Health, and Economic Impact

The team highlights Aflatoxins as potent carcinogenic mycotoxins that contaminate a wide range of Ugandan staple crops such as maize, groundnuts and sorghum, among others, especially under humid, poorly controlled storage conditions.

These toxins are highly stable, resistant to conventional cooking and can enter the human food chain via animal products and even breastmilk.

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 health burden translates into significant economic costs, with Uganda spending approximately US$910,000 annually on aflatoxin-related health services and facing potential economic losses of up to US$577 million per year due to trade restrictions and reduced productivity.

Ongoing Efforts and Remaining Gaps

Uganda has initiated several interventions, including stakeholder coalitions, regulatory frameworks and public awareness campaigns.

However, enforcement remains weak, investments in innovative control measures are limited and technical capacity is insufficient.

Traditional farming methods, poor drying and storage methods continue to drive widespread contamination, and counterfeit agrochemicals further complicate mitigation efforts.

Recommendations

To address the aflatoxin burden and broader food safety challenges, the team recommends strengthen regulatory enforcement by enhance monitoring and enforcement of food safety standards, particularly for aflatoxins and chemical residues.

Invest in infrastructure and innovation by supporting the adoption of improved drying, storage and handling technologies at the farm and market levels.

Capacity building and training by expanding technical training for farmers, traders and regulators on best practices for food safety and aflatoxin control.

Public Awareness must be intensified by education campaigns to inform all stakeholders, producers, handlers and consumers about the risks of aflatoxins and safe food practices.

Research and surveillance: through increased investment in research to develop context-appropriate interventions and strengthen national surveillance systems for foodborne hazards.

Research aspect of controlling food contamination

Dr Moses Matovu a food scientist at Naro when giving a key note address explained that if food is not safe, it will affect human and animal health and this can lead to nutrition and economic loss.

Giving the current status of food safety in Uganda, he notes that microorganisms such as Salmonella, a bacterial microorganism, can contaminate vegetables during various stages of production and handling, potentially leading to foodborne illness.

Others are aflatoxin in Maize and groundnuts which is a big challenge because the recommended rate is 10 Parts Per Billion (PPB).

But one finds maize sold in the market contains up to 35 PPB which is highly risk to human and animal health.

This led to Uganda losing over Shs180 billion loss for denied maize export to Kenya

Other are Ochratoxin A, a mycotoxin produced by certain molds, which contaminates coffee beans and is a public health concern. It can be present in both green and roasted coffee, and roasting doesn't fully eliminate it. This leads to stunted growth in children.

Challenges

The major challenge of the problem highlighted above is as a result of poor handling of foods especially fresh foods which lack cold storage chains.

Pesticide misuse by farmers and food processors is also on the increase and in the animal sector Anti-microbial use where farmers over doze the animals with antibiotics causing resistance.

There are also naturally occurring toxins in foods such as cassava with high signage making it poisonous. However Naro scientists have developed a number of sweet cassava varieties which farmers have adopted countrywide

Heavy metals which end up in foods as a result of milling including ground nut milling, cassava, sorghum, millet, banana milling among others.

Other challenges are rice grown in wetlands where there is heavy pollution.

Giving the statistical data, Dr Matove indicated that there are 1.3 million people in Uganda who suffer from food borne illnesses which must be curbed using innovative technologies.

Innovations

Naro scientists have gone ahead to develop a number of Mobile Apps that give sensitization information to farmers are food value chain actors on how to handle food.

The team has also developed aflasafe a solution to solve aflatoxin burden in farmer fields because the product has to be applied to soil during planting of groundnuts and sprinkled on maize at a certain growth stage.

In the fisheries sector scientists have developed fish smoking kiln to avoid Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, including benzo (a) pyrene, which are commonly found in smoked fish due to the smoking process. 

These compounds are formed during the combustion of wood used for smoking and can deposit on the fish which is dangerous to human health.

The team has also developed evidence investigator test kits for detecting antibiotic in milk and usage of one health approach to guard against zoonotic disease spread from wild animals to domestic animals and to humans.

Others are development of the Anti-Tick vaccine which will soon be rolled out to farms for use to avoid over usage of acaricides.

The same applies to women because the production of eggs will be affected.

Food safety Laboratory; aflatoxin a danger to reproduction process

The Director Research for the National Agricultural Livestock Resources Research Institute (NaLRRII) Prof. Samuel Majalija explained the health challenges of aflatoxins to humans saying it affects development of sperms in men meaning if the level of aflatoxin in a man is high, his sperm count will be low.

The same applies to women because the production of eggs will be affected and this can lead affecting the reproductive circles in humans.

This also applies to animals meaning farmers must avoid feeding animals with foods that contaminated with aflatoxin.

He advised cattle keepers to avoid slaughtering animals that have just been treated with antibiotics and those on which acaricide has just been applied because the medicine traces will be found in the meat and milk which is dangerous to human health.

The withdrawal period for the chemicals and antibiotics is two weeks which most animal husbandry farmers do not follow.

Aflatoxin Lab

He explained that there is a laboratory in NaLRRI which is in existence for testing aflatoxin levels and the strains are nine in number with each having different effect.

However there are four main types which are common and danger to humans and animals.

They include aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), aflatoxin B2 (AFB2), aflatoxin G1 (AFG1) and aflatoxin G2 (AFG2). Additionally, aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) and M2 (AFM2) are hydroxylated metabolites of AFB1 and AFB2, respectively. 

While there are other aflatoxins, these six are most frequently encountered.

The Laboratory contains testing equipment which tests all food residues, milk contamination and beef contamination.

The head of the lab Dr Julius Matovu explained that the equipment is multipurpose because it can test Covid-19 virus, it can be used test forensic sample to establish DNA of a person.

But for now a food exporter organisation Africa are the only clients who send the grain samples of maize and other foods for testing.

At the moment someone can access the service for one single strain test of aflatoxin at Shs150, 000 but even those seeking multiple strain tests will be charged the same amount.