Mycotoxin management in the European cereal trading sector

On the world scale, the European Union has established the most comprehensive regulations for mycotoxins in food and feed. These regulations, which are inter alia expressed in the form of maximum levels, largely affect cereal traders. To ensure the safety of their products and compliance with EU legislation traders are required to quantify the mycotoxin levels in their lots. However, while the analytical approaches of research and enforcement are well known and frequently reviewed in the scientific and legal literature, little detailed information is available on the mycotoxin management concepts of trade. The present article is intended to close this gap. On the basis of the results of two surveys conducted amongst European cereal traders in the years 2007 and 2009, three key issues in commercial mycotoxin management are outlined and discussed in the context of the current scientific literature. These are: the issue of sampling, the availability and performance of suitable analytical methods as well as issues evolving from variations between regulatory and contractual maximum levels.