Mycotoxin contamination of food and feed is a major concern in sub-Sahara African countries, particularly Nigeria. It represents a significant limit to health of human, livestock as well as the international trade. Aflatoxins, fumonisins, ochratoxin, zearalenone, deoxynivalenol and beauvericin are the major mycotoxins recognised in the aetiology of food safety challenges that precipitated countless number of diseases. In Nigeria, aflatoxins and fumonisin found in nearly all crops are the most common mycotoxins of economic and health importance such as sorghum, maize and groundnuts. Thus, consumption of food contaminated with mycotoxins are inevitable, hence the need for adequate regulation is necessary in these frontier economies as done in many developed economies to ensure food safety for human and animals. In low and middle-income countries, especially Nigeria, there is lack of awareness and sufficient information on the risk associated with consequent of mycotoxin contamination on wellbeing of human, animals health and the economy. It is based on the foregoing that this paper summarized the status of mycotoxin present in Nigerian food and feeds relative to the global regulatory standards. This aimed at preventing consuming mycotoxin contaminated food stuff while confronting its associated challenges. Suggestions on some possible control strategies to mitigate vending mycotoxin food and feeds were made.

The East African Community (EAC) is a regional InterGovernmental body comprising of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and South Sudan. This region produces and extensively consumes maize and peanuts as staple foods. Maize and peanuts are susceptible to fungal growth and mycotoxin contamination and this is favored by high temperatures, high humidity as well as other factors such as grain damage by birds or insects, poor postharvest handling, and storage. Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites of fungi that contaminate food with far-reaching consequences on human and animal health in addition to causing huge economic losses. Major mycotoxins of concern in maize and peanuts are Afl atoxins, Fumonisins, Zearalenone, and Deoxynivalenol. Among the East African Community countries afl atoxins and fumonisins are the most detected and researched mycotoxins in maize and peanuts. The highest reported afl atoxin contamination levels in maize and peanuts among the East African Community countries were 48,000μg/kg and 7,525μg/kg respectively both of which were recorded in products from Kenya while the highest fumonisin contamination in maize was 18,184 μg/kg which was reported in products from Tanzania. Human beings are exposed to mycotoxins mainly through the consumption of contaminated foods or their products. The East African Community through the East African Bureau of Standards set regulatory limits for afl atoxins and fumonisins in maize and peanuts at 5 ppb for afl atoxin B 1 , 10 ppb for total afl atoxins, and 2000 ppb for fumonisins. This paper reviews the current literature on mycotoxin contamination of Maize and Peanuts in the East African Community region, current regulations, their negative consequences on health and trade as well as factors contributing to their high prevalence in the region.