scholarly journals Mycotoxin problems in South African foodstuffs

1986 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 151-153
Author(s):  
C. J. Rabie
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
South African ◽  
Processed Foods ◽  
Mycotoxin Contamination ◽  
Toxic Metabolites ◽  
Staple Foods ◽  
Food Commodities

Problems concerning the contamination of foods by toxic fungi and mycotoxins are reviewed. Mycotoxin contamination of specific South African foodstuffs such as maize, sorghum, oats, chicory, imported foodstuffs and certain processed foods is discussed. Emphasis is placed on those toxic fungi where the toxic metabolites are unknown and which regularly contaminate staple foods. Law-enforcement problems concerning mycotoxin contamination of food commodities are discussed.

scholarly journals A Scoping Review of Mycotoxin Contamination of Maize and Other Grains in South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol In Press (In Press) ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix Fon Fru ◽  
Clarence Yah ◽  
Lebogang Charity Motaung ◽  
Palesa Sekhejane ◽  
Patrick Berka Njobeh
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Continuous Monitoring ◽  
Research Question ◽  
South African Population ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Mycotoxin Contamination ◽  
Food Commodities ◽  
Good Hygiene

Backgrond: Despite global legislative and regulatory efforts to ensure sustainable food safety and security, mycotoxins remain a challenge in the supply of staple food commodities like maize and other grains in South Africa. Objectives: We reviewed mycotoxin contamination of maize, maize-associated food products, and other cereals to emphasis the need for continuous monitoring and management in South Africa. Methods: A scoping review was conducted on mycotoxin contamination of maize, maize-related products, and other cereals, as well as associated health implications in South Africa. The literature review intended to identify relevant articles and reports from 1980 to 2020 based on Arksey and O’Malley guidelines. Results: Of 103 articles/reports identified for the research question “that defines to what extend the South African population is exposed to mycotoxins, and why”, 31 (30 %) were eligible for this study. The most recurrent mycotoxins were fumonisins (FBs) and aflatoxins (AFs). The levels of FBs and AFs were as high as 140480 µg/kg and 762 µg/kg, respectively. Conclusions: The FBs and AFs were the main mycotoxins in maize, cereals, and related products. Therefore, adopting effective, sustainable, and scalable measures in limiting mycotoxin contamination is critical for the mitigation of food insecurity and the resulted health burden. Training farmers and other stakeholders on good hygiene and farming practices in the food chain supply is important.

SEARCH FOR AND SEIZURE OF EVIDENCE IN CYBER ENVIRONMENTS: A LAW-ENFORCEMENT DILEMMA IN SOUTH AFRICAN CRIMINAL PROCEDURE

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-67
Author(s):  
Vinesh M Basdeo ◽  
Moses Montesh ◽  
Bernard Khotso Lekubu
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
South African ◽  
Legal System ◽  
Criminal Procedure ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Physical World ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Time Zone ◽  
Legal Sanctions ◽  
Domestic Affairs

Investigating, deterring and imposing legal sanctions on cyber-criminals warrants an international legal framework for the investigation and prosecution of cybercrime. The real-world limits of local, state and national sovereignty and jurisdiction cannot be ignored by law-enforcement officials. It can be a strenuous task to obtain information from foreign countries, especially on an expedited basis – more specifically when the other country is in a different time zone, has a different legal system, does not have trained experts and uses different languages. In South Africa existing laws appear to be inadequate for policing the cyber realm. The effects and impact of information technology on the legal system have not yet received the attention they warrant. The challenges presented by the electronic realm cannot be solved merely by imposing existing criminal and criminal procedural laws which govern the physical world on cyberspace. The electronic realm does not necessarily demand new laws, but it does require that criminal actions be conceptualised differently and not from a purely traditional perspective. Sovereignty and the principle of non-interference in the domestic affairs of another state are fundamental principles grounding the relations between states; they constitute an important mechanism in the armoury of criminals. The harmonisation and enactment of adequate and appropriate transborder coercive procedural measures consequently play a pivotal role in facilitating effective international cooperation. This article examines the efficacy of South African laws in dealing with the challenges presented by police powers to search for and seize evidence in cyber environments. It analyses the rudimentary powers that exist in South African criminal procedure regarding the search for and seizure of evidence in cyber environments, and compares them against the backdrop of the more systemic and integrated approach proposed by the Cybercrime Convention.

scholarly journals Consumers’ Motives for Eating and Choosing Sweet Baked Products: A Cross-Cultural Segmentation Study

Foods ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1811
Author(s):  
Annchen Mielmann ◽  
Thomas A. Brunner
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Population Sample ◽  
Cultural Exchange ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Processed Foods ◽  
Global Perspectives ◽  
South Africans ◽  
Swiss Population ◽  
Baked Products

This study aimed to examine consumers’ motives for eating and choosing sweet baked products (SBPs). A cross-cultural segmentation study on a South African (SA) and Swiss population sample (n = 216), was implemented using the Motivation for Eating Scale (MFES) and the Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ). Cluster analyses provided three consumer segments for each population sample: the balanced and the frequenters for both countries, the deniers for SA, and the health conscious for Switzerland. South Africans liked SBPs more than the Swiss respondents, however the Swiss sample consumed SBPs more often. Environmental and physical eating were the most relevant motives when eating SBPs for the SA and Swiss group, respectively. For both samples, sensory appeal was the deciding factor when choosing SBPs. Cross-cultural studies of food choices are important tools that could help improve the current understanding of factors that influence the eating behavior of ultra-processed foods to promote healthy food choices through local and global perspectives. This paper highlights that more research is needed on consumers’ motives for choosing and eating ultra-processed foods in order to develop specific integrative cultural exchange actions or intervention strategies to solve the obesity issue.

scholarly journals Overview of Fungi and Mycotoxin Contamination in Capsicum Pepper and in Its Derivatives

Toxins ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jéssica Costa ◽  
Rodrigo Rodríguez ◽  
Esther Garcia-Cela ◽  
Angel Medina ◽  
Naresh Magan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Production Chain ◽  
Mycotoxin Contamination ◽  
Critical Control Points ◽  
Nutritional Characteristics ◽  
Safe Food ◽  
Food Commodities ◽  
Spoilage Fungi ◽  
Processing And Storage ◽  
Mycotoxin Biosynthesis

Capsicum products are widely commercialised and consumed worldwide. These substrates present unusual nutritional characteristics for microbial growth. Despite this, the presence of spoilage fungi and the co-occurrence of mycotoxins in the pepper production chain have been commonly detected. The main aim of this work was to review the critical control points, with a focus on mycotoxin contamination, during the production, storage and distribution of Capsicum products from a safety perspective; outlining the important role of ecophysiological factors in stimulating or inhibiting mycotoxin biosynthesis in these food commodities. Moreover, the human health risks caused by the ingestion of peppers contaminated with mycotoxins were also reviewed. Overall, Capsicum and its derivative-products are highly susceptible to contamination by mycotoxins. Pepper crop production and further transportation, processing and storage are crucial for production of safe food.

scholarly journals Reversing the 'syndrome of secrecy': Peremptory reporting obligations in cases of child abuse and neglect

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mildred Bekink
Keyword(s):  
Child Abuse ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Child Maltreatment ◽  
South African ◽  
Child Abuse And Neglect ◽  
Mandatory Reporting ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
Abuse And Neglect ◽  
Reporting Laws ◽  
Do So

ABSTRACT Mandatory reporting laws are a controversial mechanism that require members of particular occupations to report cases of serious child maltreatment that they encounter in the course of their work to welfare or law enforcement agencies. In April 2019 a video went viral in which a woman filmed her colleague beating toddlers at a crèche in Gauteng. The crèche was closed, and arrests were made, including of the videographer. Given extent of violence and abuse against South African children, this paper investigates whether South African law adequately provides for the liability of those compelled to report child abuse but who fail to do so, why mandated reporters fail to report abuse, and how South Africa's mandatory reporting rules should be amended to better serve their purpose.

scholarly journals The Relevance of Theology and Legal policy in South African society in connection with violence against women

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Doniwen Pietersen
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
South African ◽  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Well Being ◽  
African Society ◽  
Law Enforcement Agencies ◽  
South African Society ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
Care Approach ◽  
The Church

The theological question raised in this article violence against women theologically, drawing and incorporating the South African government’s response to it in terms of legislation and policing strategies and the need for greater participation of communities to combat gender-related crimes. The caretaker approach of the church as the custodian of the Hebrew Bible was also highlighted. Even though a church-based care approach may be limited, it still has the potential to support the efforts of law-enforcement agencies. When women in communities do not feel safe and fear violence at the hands of men, they are forced to resort to the state to provide protection. Crime, including crime against women, draws on insecurities about the level of safety and well-being in communities. It cannot be prevented or eliminated by the police alone but by the concerted collaboration of the private sector, NGOs, faith-based organisations such as churches and the community itself.

scholarly journals A South African perspective on mutual legal assistance and extradition in a globalized world

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 291
Author(s):  
Murdoch Watney
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
South African ◽  
International Criminal ◽  
Legal Assistance ◽  
The South ◽  
Mutual Legal Assistance ◽  
African Perspective ◽  
Criminal Conduct ◽  
Globalized World

This contribution focuses on the modalities of mutual legal assistance and extradition from a South African perspective. The question is posed whether South Africa has succeeded to establish the required framework as a fully fledged member of the international community to make a positive contribution in the fields of mutual legal assistance and extradition subsequent to its international political isolation during the apartheid era. Although the international community derives substantial benefit from a borderless global world, it has as a result also to deal with the negative impact of globalization on international crime. Physical and/or electronic crimes are increasingly committed across borders and may be described as borderless, but law enforcement (combating, investigation and prosecution of crime) is still very much confined to the borders of a state. Criminal networks have taken advantage of the opportunities resulting from the dramatic changes in world politics, business, technology, communications and the explosion in international travel and effectively utilize these opportunities to avoid and hamper law enforcement investigations. As a sovereign state has control over its own territory it also implies that states should not interfere with each other’s domestic affairs. The correct and acceptable procedure would be for a state (requesting state) to apply to another state (requested state) for co-operation in the form of mutual legal assistance regarding the gathering of evidence and/or extradition of the perpetrator. Co-operation between states are governed by public international law between the requesting and requested state and the domestic law of the requested state. The South African legislature has increasingly provided for extraterritorial jurisdiction of South African courts in respect of organized crime and terrorism. It does however appear that existing criminal justice responses are experiencing challenges to meet the demands of sophisticated international criminal conduct. Mutual legal assistance and extradition provisions may show that the world is becoming smaller for fugitives and criminals, but the processes are far from expeditious and seamless. An overview of the South African law pertaining to mutual legal assistance and extradition indicates that the South African legislative framework and policies as well as international treaties make sufficient provision to render international assistance in respect of mutual legal assistance and extradition. The role of the courts in upholding the rule of law and protecting the constitutionally enshrined bill of rights, is indicative of the important function that the judiciary fulfills in this regard. It is important that extradition is not only seen as the function of the executive as it also involves the judiciary. It appears that South Africa has displayed the necessary commitment to normalize its international position since 1994 and to fulfill its obligations in a globalized world by reaching across borders in an attempt to address international criminal conduct.

scholarly journals Competitiveness of South Africa's agri-food commodities

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 945-968
Author(s):  
Yonas T. Bahta ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
South African ◽  
Comparative Advantage ◽  
Food Industry ◽  
The Other ◽  
Gdp Per Capita ◽  
Mixed Result ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
Food Commodities

<abstract> <p>This research aims to determine the competitiveness of South African agri-food products and the factors that influence them. The study applied a comparative advantage (RCA) index, Lafay Index (LFI), Export Diversification Index (EDI), Major export category (MEC), Hirschman index (HI), and regression analysis. The study revealed a mixed result of RCA and LFI of agri-food commodities during 2000–2018. Some commodities such as tobacco and rawhides have a comparative advantage. On the other hand, vegetables, fruit, and coffee showed a comparative disadvantage. At the same time, the LFI revealed a significant comparative advantage from 2000 to 2003 for agri-food commodities of fish and sugar, sugar preparations, and honey. EDI was near zero for all commodities, indicating that the trading structure was less concentrated. Hirschman index (HI) demonstrated that all commodities showed a reduced concentration throughout the study period. The results of regression analysis on factors that influence the competitiveness of agri-food commodities were varied. Agriculture productivity and GDP per capita had a favorable impact on comparative advantage. Macroeconomic stability had a mixed result, with agri-food commodities having positive and negative effects. South Africa had a less concentrated trade structure and did not depend on international trade from the agri-food industry. These evaluations provide policymakers with information on agri-food competitiveness and the factors that influence the industry's competitiveness.</p> </abstract>

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