President Yoweri Museveni has warned Ugandans to be careful with the groundnuts they buy, saying poorly stored binyewa could expose families to dangerous toxins linked to cancer.
The President revealed that his own household no longer buys shelled or pre-pounded groundnuts from shops, especially when the products may have been stored for a long time.
According to Museveni, the problem comes when groundnuts are kept under poor conditions for extended periods. Mould can grow on them and produce aflatoxins, harmful substances that can enter the food people eat.
Museveni said this is one reason his household prefers buying fresh groundnuts and preparing them at home.
His concern is that consumers may not know how long already-shelled or pounded groundnuts have been kept, or the conditions under which they were stored.
The warning comes at a time when cancer continues to worry many families across Uganda and other parts of East Africa.
Museveni urged households to pay closer attention to the quality of the food they put on their tables.
Aflatoxins are produced by certain fungi and can affect foods such as groundnuts and grains when they are poorly dried or stored. Long-term exposure to aflatoxin B1 is strongly linked to liver cancer.
For many Ugandans, groundnuts are a common food and are used in sauces, snacks and other meals. That makes the President’s warning particularly significant for households that regularly buy processed or shelled binyewa from markets and shops.