Evaluation of Coregulation as a Governance Option To Manage Aflatoxin Risk in Texas Maize

Coregulation as a form of risk management relies upon a government-private partnership in regulation using government-backed codes of practice or action plans. In Texas, implementation of coregulation to manage aflatoxin risk has been practiced since 2011 and operates under the program title One Sample Strategy (OSS). Aflatoxin-contaminated cereals and oilseeds that contain greater than 20 μg/kg of the toxin (B₁, B₂, G₁, and G₂) are adulterated as defined by the Texas Commercial Feed Rules and regulated by the Texas Feed and Fertilizer Control Service of the Office of the Texas State Chemist. The present study was intended to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the coregulation program for 3 years based on selected evaluation criteria aiming to improve aflatoxin risk management and thus reduce market and food safety risk in Texas. In 2013, 124 analysts qualified to participate in the program at 23 grain elevators. During the 2013 harvest, use of control samples to ensure testing accuracy revealed that the average relative standard deviation among all participants was 14.5%. In 2014 and 2015, 129 and 151 analysts, respectively, qualified to measure aflatoxin, and the average relative standard deviation values for the working control across the 29 and 30 participating firms were 16.2 and 13.7%, respectively. All firms demonstrated the capability to grind maize to the OSS-prescribed particle size (70% passing through a 20-mesh sieve) in all 3 years. The Texas Feed and Fertilizer Control Service verified testing accuracy of OSS participants analyzing 612, 693, and 482 retained samples in 2013, 2014, and 2015, respectively. Results were plotted in an operating curve to depict type I and type II errors. The implementation of the OSS built upon a quality system-based code of practice successfully managed aflatoxin risk in Texas by using coregulation as a governance option.