By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The National Consumer Commission (NCC) will this week start its investigation into five peanut butter brands it recalled for having higher levels of aflatoxin.
These include Dischem’s Lifestyle 400g Smooth and Crunchy, Dischem’s Lifestyle 800g Smooth and Crunchy, Wazoogles Superfoods (all sizes), Pick n Pay’s No Name 1kg smooth and Eden All Natural.
The Pick n Pay, Eden All Natural and Dischem Lifestyle brands are distributed at stores nationally, with Wazoogles Superfoods products mostly available in the Western Cape although they are sold widely online.
The National Consumer Commission said in a statement that it was conducting a nationwide assessment of South African peanut butters to establish whether they have been affected by higher than acceptable levels of Aflatoxin, which can cause health complications.
“The commission urges the manufacturers, distributors and suppliers of peanut butter to comply with regulations and conduct urgent tests to assess the safety of the products on their shelves and take immediate corrective steps if found to be unsafe,” said acting National Consumer Commissioner Thezi Mabuza in a statement.
The commission has advised the public to immediately stop consuming these products and return them to the store they bought them from for a full refund, with or without proof of purchase.
Aflatoxins are a group of toxins produced by several fungi, especially Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. These are found naturally in the environment and can be present on different crops, including maize, rice, some spices, cocoa beans, tree nuts and peanuts.
The aflatoxins are produced by the fungi while still in the field or when the commodities are stored incorrectly (in warm and humid conditions).
Aflatoxins are potent liver carcinogens, which can cause cancer in all animal species, including humans.
“It is estimated that around 4.5 billion of the world’s population (more than half of its current population), mainly in developing countries, is exposed to aflatoxins. Because aflatoxins are found so abundantly across many staple foods in developing countries, one could be exposed to low levels over a long time. In fact, this continuous exposure at low levels is known as chronic exposure and can be the cause of liver cancer many years later, estimated at around 20 years later.”
There is no safe level for aflatoxin, but countries set their own regulatory limits for such commodities to limit exposure to these toxins through food and animal feed.