Aflatoxins are poisons made by Aspergillus moulds on crops such as groundnuts, tree nuts, dried figs, maize, rice and spices. The EU limit for groundnuts sold to consumers is 2.0 µg/kg for aflatoxin B1 and 4.0 µg/kg for the sum of four aflatoxins, set in Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2023/915; limits for other foods range up to 12 and 15 µg/kg.
What are aflatoxins?
The World Health Organization describes aflatoxins as among the most poisonous mould toxins, produced mainly by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, which grow on crops in warm and humid conditions before or after harvest. It lists cereals, oilseeds such as peanuts, spices such as chillies and turmeric, and tree nuts such as pistachios and almonds among the crops often affected, and notes that most mould toxins are chemically stable and survive food processing. EFSA advises the Commission on maximum levels.
What are the EU limits?
Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2023/915 sets two limits for most foods: one for aflatoxin B1 and one for the sum of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2, both in micrograms per kilogram. Products to be sorted or otherwise treated before sale get a higher limit than products sold to the consumer as they are. A selection, from the consolidated text of 19 August 2026:
| Food (point) | B1 | Sum of four |
|---|---|---|
| Groundnuts and other oilseeds sold to the consumer or used as an ingredient (1.1.5) | 2.0 | 4.0 |
| Groundnuts and other oilseeds to be sorted first (1.1.4) | 8.0 | 15.0 |
| Tree nuts sold to the consumer (1.1.7) | 2.0 | 4.0 |
| Almonds, pistachios and apricot kernels sold to the consumer (1.1.9) | 8.0 | 10.0 |
| Hazelnuts and Brazil nuts sold to the consumer (1.1.11) | 5.0 | 10.0 |
| Dried fruit sold to the consumer (1.1.2) | 2.0 | 4.0 |
| Dried figs (1.1.3) | 6.0 | 10.0 |
| Cereals sold to the consumer (1.1.12) | 2.0 | 4.0 |
| Maize and rice to be sorted first (1.1.13) | 5.0 | 10.0 |
| Dried chillies, paprika, pepper, nutmeg, turmeric and their mixtures (1.1.14) | 5.0 | 10.0 |
The regulation also sets 0.050 µg/kg of aflatoxin M1 for milk and 0.10 µg/kg of aflatoxin B1 for baby food. Check the current consolidated text before relying on a figure.
How often does the EU find them?
Since 2020, 2,922 EU notifications named aflatoxins (351 in 2020, 393 in 2021, 418 in 2022, 326 in 2023, 533 in 2024, 546 in 2025, 355 in 2026 to 8 Nov 2026), 9% of all notifications. 68% were border rejections.
In which products and from where?
The products named most often were groundnuts (1,038), figs (460), pistachios (457), hazelnuts (141), almonds (95) and rice (79). The origins named most often were Türkiye (653), the United States (483), Argentina (299), Iran (195), Egypt (191) and India (188).
Who finds them, and how?
The countries that notified aflatoxins most often were the Netherlands (1,025), Germany (413), Italy (383), France (237) and Bulgaria (162). 68% of aflatoxin notifications were border rejections, 13% alerts and 19% information notifications. 85 notifications named ochratoxin A as well, and 2,721 of those that named aflatoxins carried a serious risk decision.
Is it rising or falling?
In the 365 days to 8 November 2026 there were 450 notifications naming aflatoxins, against 536 in the 365 days before, down 16%.
Why are some products caught so often?
Groundnuts, pistachios and almonds, among the products named most often here, are crops the WHO lists among those often affected by Aspergillus. Several origins are also listed for extra checks: Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1793 lists groundnuts from Argentina and from India for aflatoxin checks at the border. The limit applies to the edible part: when nuts in shell are tested, the regulation assumes all the contamination is in the kernel.
What can a supplier do?
Good drying and storage, sorting, and testing each lot before it ships are the usual defences, with the laboratory report kept with the consignment. The aflatoxins page lists every new notification, with a link to the official record and its measured level.
Sources
- Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 on contaminants, consolidated text of 19 August 2026, Annex I, checked 18 October 2026
- Mycotoxins fact sheet, World Health Organization, checked 18 October 2026
- Mycotoxins, EFSA, checked 18 October 2026
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1793, consolidated text of 30 June 2026, Annexes I and II, checked 18 October 2026
- RASFF Window, European Commission: numbers computed from the list read on 8 November 2026
Last checked 18 October 2026. Numbers on this page are recomputed each time the data is read, last on 8 November 2026.