U.S. perspective on mycotoxin regulatory issues

Abstract

Control programs set up by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for aflatoxin, an unavoidable natural contaminant produced by specific molds that invade a number of feedstuffs and basic foods, provide an example of forces that affect risk assessment and management strategies by a regulatory agency. More recently, on an international scale, efforts to establish international food standards for fumonisin, deoxynivalenol, ochratoxin A, zearalenone, and patulin, as well as for aflatoxin, demonstrate the complexity of developing regulations and/or standards designed to protect consumer health and ensure fair trade practices on a global scale. Current FDA regulations for aflatoxins address public health concerns for potential contamination in basic foods, residues in milk, and animal feeds for numerous commodities and applications. Regulatory limits, sampling and analytical procedures, decontamination and/or diversion to less risk uses for contaminated product are components of mycotoxin control programs. Current efforts by FDA to establish regulatory controls for deoxynivalenol, fumonisin, and patulin add further insight on the role that safety and risk assessment procedures play in the development of action levels and advisories for mycotoxins.