A new Risk-Based Prioritization Framework Helps Tackle Mycotoxin Threats in the Food Chain

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – Mycotoxins pose a significant and evolving threat to global food safety. These toxic compounds produced by certain fungi can contaminate crops and represent a serious health risk to consumers. With changing climate conditions favouring fungal growth, the likelihood and severity of mycotoxin contamination in food are expected to increase, making their management a growing concern. A new paper by ILSI Europe presents a practical risk prioritization framework to identify which mycotoxins pose the greatest risk to consumers and where mitigation efforts should be focused. 

Contamination by mycotoxins can occur throughout the production chain—from raw materials to finished products—and may even affect foods of animal origin through carryover from contaminated feed. The newly published framework integrates hazard assessment, exposure evaluation, and—crucially for the first time—an appraisal of mitigation strategies. Applied to wheat-based foods like bread and pasta, a proof-of-concept study found that ochratoxin A (OTA) in bread presents the highest priority for mitigation, followed by deoxynivalenol (DON). Designed to be flexible, the approach can be adapted to other food commodities, contaminants, and changing climate conditions that influence fungal growth and mycotoxin prevalence. 

For industry, the framework supports more efficient resource allocation, supply chain control, and regulatory compliance. Regulators gain a science-based tool for setting surveillance priorities and refining safety standards, while academic researchers are offered a structured platform to address toxicological data gaps and develop targeted mitigation strategies. As climate change and global supply complexity heighten contamination risks, such tools are essential for proactive, evidence-driven food safety management. 

This work was commissioned by ILSI Europe’s Food Contaminants Task Force.