November 19, 2018 at the University of Florida
in collaboration with the University of Florida’s:
Food contamination is a serious concern worldwide. Aflatoxins are a group of fungal metabolites that contaminate a variety of staple crops, including corn and peanuts, and cause an array of acute and chronic animal and human health problems. Through new research, many countries are learning about high levels of aflatoxin contamination, and this new knowledge creates a dilemma for leaders who want to avoid creating panic, while still educating the public about the risk.
This Symposium’s two main purposes were to: 1) discuss strategies on how best to approach communicating “bad news” resulting from research projects (such as detection of high levels of toxins or pathogens in agricultural products), using appropriate risk communication methods; and 2) discuss innovative interventions and solutions for addressing these situations.
The University of Florida’s research in Florida and abroad is tackling challenging food safety issues, such as aflatoxins, to improve production of safe agricultural products and to contribute to improved human health and nutrition. This symposium brings together experts from across the university to address the complex issues surrounding aflatoxins in animal feed and their possible consequences on public health.
||Introduction and welcome (no PDF)||Video section|
Nicolás Hernández Gallo
Universidad Nacional de Colombia, visiting scholar at the One Health Center of Excellence.
|Setting the scene: What are aflatoxins and why do they matter||Video section|
Renata Serra, Ph.D.
|Literature review on prevalence and regulation of aflatoxin in East and West Africa||Video section
Zack Brym, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Agroecology
|Innovative research and extension in agriculture through transdisciplinary approaches||Video section|
Discussion regarding challenges and opportunities given the current epidemiological, political, and economic scenario in Ethiopia and Rwanda
|Adegbola Adesogan, Ph.D., Director of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems||Dr. Capua||Video section|
|Ann Christiano, M.S., Director of the Center for Public Interest Communications|
|Ricky Telg, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Public Issues Education||Dr. Brym|
(article in Stanford Social Innovation Review)
|Dr. Capua||Closing remarks||Video section|
Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems
This website is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and it Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems managed by the University of Florida and the International Livestock Research Institute. The contents are the responsibility of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Livestock systems and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.