Aflatoxin hazard: No standards set for US peanuts intended for Europe

You can have complete food safety compliance in your facility, and follow best practice; but if you have an unknown contaminant or adulterant in your raw materials, you’ve lost the game before you’ve even had a chance to play.

The process from farm to fork is extensive, and extremely complicated. As a food manufacturer or distributor, you are accountable and responsible for any problems in that complex supply chain.

There are various types of contaminants and issues that render food unsafe or unfit for consumption before it even reaches your facility. Raw material hazards such as micro-organisms, pesticides, allergens, heavy metals, foreign bodies, aflatoxins, etc. are all examples, and account for a large number of recalls every year. Many companies purchase materials from a variety of suppliers, with each supplier having a complement of their own suppliers.

Food companies as a whole are struggling to identify, reduce and eliminate these food hazards and risks.

This was highlighted recently in an article published in Food Safety News, reporting that the United States lacks sufficient aflatoxin checks on peanuts destined for Europe. This issue was revealed by a regular audit covering the detection of non-compliant foodstuffs.

The audit assessed the relevant control systems and found the legal framework primarily addresses peanuts intended for the local market, and imports. Alarmingly, there are no specific standards for peanuts intended for the European Union.

For more information and the full article, click here.