Senegal’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce has denied reports claiming widespread aflatoxin contamination of rice sold in the country, urging consumers to remain calm.
In an official statement, the ministry dismissed rumours of large-scale aflatoxin contamination in rice, explaining that the information recently circulated was based on a limited pilot study, both in scope and geographical coverage, funded by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and conducted under the supervision of the National Codex Committee.
The study analysed 200 samples collected in Dakar, Thiès and Kaolack, mainly from food vendors. According to the ministry, the sample size and methodology do not allow for conclusions to be drawn about the overall quality of rice consumed nationwide.
Maximum level considered compliant with Codex standards
The ministry also pointed to differences in the standards used to interpret the results. According to the authorities, the study’s findings were compared against the European Union’s maximum threshold of 4 micrograms per kilogram (µg/kg), whereas Senegal relies on the international Codex Alimentarius standard.
The latter sets the maximum limit for total aflatoxins in milled rice at 20 µg/kg. The highest level detected in the study, 18.6 µg/kg, therefore remains below the Codex limit, according to the ministry.
No samples collected from the Senegal River Valley
The ministry also rejected claims that 50% of locally produced rice was contaminated. It stressed that none of the samples analysed in the study came from national production areas, particularly the Senegal River Valley.
The authorities therefore consider that any claim of widespread contamination of locally produced rice lacks scientific and factual basis.
More than 2,000 analyses conducted
The government recalled that all food products marketed in Senegal, whether imported or locally produced, undergo compliance checks before being placed on the market, followed by regular monitoring.
Between January and June 2026, the Directorate of Domestic Trade recorded 2,059 laboratory analysis results covering various products. These controls were carried out with support from reference laboratories, including LANAC, the Institute of Food Technology (ITA), the Pasteur Institute, IESP and CÉRES-Locustox.
For rice, monitoring programmes mainly focus on heavy metals, including arsenic, while aflatoxin contamination is considered less common in this commodity than in groundnuts.
Market surveillance strengthened
The ministry said health and safety monitoring mechanisms remain fully operational. The National Laboratory for Analysis and Control (LANAC) and the Institute of Food Technology (ITA) continue to conduct inspections, while the Directorate of Domestic Trade has strengthened market surveillance.
Authorities further assured that any product failing to meet health and safety standards would be removed from the market and that offenders would face penalties in accordance with current regulations.
The clarification aims to ease concerns raised by reports of alleged widespread rice contamination and reiterates that available data, according to the ministry, does not indicate a general health risk for Senegalese consumers.
TE/Sf/lb/as/APA