Partnerships Address Aflatoxins, The World’s Most Urgent Food Safety Challenge
Organised by
- Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa (PACA)
- Mars, Incorporated
Summary
Food safety is the essential pillar of food security and nutrition. Without access to safe food, consumers have neither food, nutrition nor health. Unfortunately unsafe foods are significant and pervasive and impede the lives of billions of people daily. Unsafe foods from production to the consumer impact nutrition, better health and improved economic status. UN facts indicate that 25% of food crops are contaminated by mycotoxins, especially aflatoxins with 4.5 billion people exposed annually, associated with premature deaths of women, high rates of liver cancer and childhood stunting.
Solutions exist to prevent, solve and manage safety challenges with multi-sector, multi-disciplinary partnerships. This event will illustrate progress through collaborations among the Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa (PACA), UN Agencies such as FAO and the World Food Programme, GAIN, an industry leader Mars, Incorporated and others.
Panel members will:(1) illustrate food safety problems and present a compelling need for comprehensive strategies; (2) Humanize aflatoxins devastating impacts on the nutrition and health of women, children and reduced income consequences for farmers; and (3) Share lessons learned to prevent and control aflatoxins to achieve freedom from the harmful effects of aflatoxins.
Related Information
Contact
For inquiries regarding this side event, please contact
- Amare Ayalew, amare@africa-union.org, 0115517700