Aflatoxins and Imported Products Dominate EU RASFF Mycotoxin Notifications, Study Finds

Aflatoxins and imported products dominated mycotoxin-related notifications in the European Union's Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) over the five-year period from 2020 to 2024, according to a peer-reviewed study published in the journal Toxins.

Researchers from the University of Córdoba and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) analyzed 2,479 mycotoxin-related food and feed notifications reported through the iRASFF platform between January 2020 and December 2024. They also drew on annual RASFF reports to contextualise notification trends dating back to 2012.

Aflatoxins Overwhelmingly Predominant

Of the 2,479 notifications recorded during the study period, aflatoxins accounted for 2,076, or 84 percent of the total. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) alone was involved in 1,848 notifications. Ochratoxins were the second-most frequently reported mycotoxin type, accounting for 361 notifications, or 15 percent of the total.

Other mycotoxins were reported far less frequently, including fumonisins (26 notifications), patulin (16), deoxynivalenol (13), T-2 toxin (seven), and zearalenone (three). There were also 27 notifications involving Claviceps purpurea, which is associated with ergot alkaloids.

By product category, nuts, nut products, and seeds represented the largest share at 54 percent of all mycotoxin notifications, followed by fruits and vegetables at 23 percent and cereals and bakery products at 10 percent. Aflatoxins accounted for 64 percent of notifications within the nuts, nut products, and seeds category. For ochratoxin A (OTA), fruits and vegetables accounted for 52 percent of notifications.

Non-EU Origins Dominate; Türkiye and U.S. Lead

Products originating outside the EU accounted for 90 percent of mycotoxin-related notifications. Among the 2,242 notifications involving non-EU products, Türkiye accounted for 585 notifications, followed by the U.S. with 353, India with 180, Egypt with 171, Iran with 155, Argentina with 146, and Pakistan with 127. Globally, Türkiye and the U.S. were the most frequently reported countries of origin, representing 24 percent and 14 percent of notifications, respectively.

The mycotoxin profiles of EU and non-EU origin products differed markedly. Aflatoxins accounted for nearly 88 percent of notifications involving products from outside the EU. Among EU-origin products, aflatoxins represented approximately 43 percent of notifications, followed by OTA at 31 percent and ergot alkaloids at 11 percent.

Ochratoxin A Notifications Rising, But Caution Urged

OTA notifications increased from 44 cases in 2020 to 117 in 2024. However, the researchers cautioned that this rise may not straightforwardly reflect worsening contamination. According to the study, the increase "could reflect changes in notification frequency and/or improvements in detection capacity, potentially alongside the influence of climate change on fungi proliferation."

Serious Risk Classification Predominates

Border rejections accounted for 68 percent of mycotoxin-related notifications during the review period, followed by alerts at 16 percent, information notifications for attention at 13 percent, and information notifications for follow-up at 2 percent. Ninety-two percent of notifications were classified as posing a "serious" risk.

Food intended for human consumption comprised 2,385 of the 2,479 notifications, with 94 notifications relating to animal feed. The researchers noted that the relatively low number of feed notifications should not be taken as evidence of negligible risk, highlighting the potential for mycotoxins or their metabolites to enter the human food chain through carry-over processes — a consideration of direct relevance to feed safety stakeholders.

No Statistically Significant Long-Term Trend

Despite annual RASFF mycotoxin notifications reaching a record high of 663 in 2024, statistical analysis of data spanning 2012 to 2024 did not identify a significant long-term increasing trend. Over the same period, total RASFF notifications across all hazard categories rose from 3,516 in 2012 to 5,364 in 2024, meaning mycotoxins declined as a proportion of all notifications, from approximately 15–16 percent during 2015–2018 to 9–12 percent in 2023–2024.

The researchers also cautioned against reading notification counts as direct measures of contamination prevalence or population exposure, noting that RASFF data represent detected and reported regulatory non-compliances and "can be affected by trade volumes, sampling intensity, border-control activity, and national surveillance strategies."

The study concluded that continued border surveillance, international cooperation, and risk-based monitoring are important for limiting dietary exposure to mycotoxins, particularly in globally traded commodities, and called for surveillance strategies to adapt to evolving scientific evidence, climate change, and international trade patterns.