Summary: Cornell Center for a Sustainable Future
June 4, noon, 300 Rice Hall.
- to Paula Euvrard firstname.lastname@example.org
- AND to one or both of the organizers (email@example.com and firstname.lastname@example.org ).
Mycotoxins are toxic metabolites produced by fungi that contaminate an estimated 25% of the
human food supply. Our overall objective is to reduce mycotoxin exposure and their adverse
effects on health and development in tropical countries, where mycotoxins are especially
problematic. To achieve this goal, we need to integrate studies of mycotoxins across disciplines
from food production and storage to health and economic impacts. Several of us recently
submitted a concept note to the Agricultural and Health Platform at the International Food Policy
Research Institute (IFPRI) addressing some of these goals in the context of aflatoxin in maize in
East Africa. We would like to convene a larger group of Cornell faculty to discuss ways to
broaden the scope of research on mycotoxins in developing countries. Despite many years of
research on mycotoxins, there are many gaps in our knowledge. For example, the effects of
chronic (as opposed to acute) mycotoxin exposure on health are poorly documented in humans,
and the economic impacts of mycotoxins have been studied primarily with respect to trade
barriers, not from the perspective of farmers and their well-being.