Plate Nº 93 · recorded October 10, 2026
Health & Medicine ResearchReported finding
Every Plant-Based Product Tested in the UK Carried Fungal Toxins
A survey of 212 plant-based meat alternatives and beverages in UK stores found every sample contained at least one fungal toxin. Levels stayed below EU limits, but cumulative exposure may still matter.
By Nathan Brooks3 min read566 words
In brief
- All 212 plant-based products tested in the UK contained at least one of 19 fungal toxins
- Every measured concentration fell below EU recommended maximum levels
- Study published August 28, 2026 in the journal Food Control
- Led by the University of Parma with coauthors from Cranfield University
- Funded through the EU Horizon Europe FunShield4Med project, Grant Agreement 101079173
Every one of 212 plant-based meat alternatives and beverages sold in UK stores contained at least one fungal toxin, a new survey finds. Some products carried several toxins at once.
The study, published in the journal Food Control on August 28, 2026, screened burgers, vegan sausages, vegetarian chicken pieces, and oat, almond, and soy-based milks for 19 different mycotoxins. These are toxic compounds that moulds produce naturally on crops. Researchers from the University of Parma in Italy led the work, with coauthors from Cranfield University in the UK.
Despite the universal presence of the toxins, every concentration measured fell below the EU's recommended maximum levels. The team attributes this to the high quality standards maintained by the UK food industry.
What are mycotoxins, and why are they in plant food?
Mycotoxins form when moulds grow on grains, legumes, and seeds, either in the field or during storage. Plant-based meat and drink products rely heavily on these crops, which makes contamination a structural feature of the category rather than a processing failure. The 19 toxins screened include well-studied families such as aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, and Fusarium metabolites.
Should consumers worry about a single serving?
Eating one burger, one sausage, or one glass of oat milk is unlikely to cause harm on its own. The concentrations in the tested products stayed within EU safety thresholds for individual foods. The deeper question concerns what happens when small exposures accumulate over months and years.
Why does cumulative exposure matter?
Past research has linked repeated low-level mycotoxin intake to potential liver and kidney damage, immune suppression, and cancer. People whose diets rely heavily on plant-based substitutes may absorb more of these compounds than the average eater. Current EU rules, designed around individual ingredients, may not fully capture the risk of eating many different plant-based products every day.
What do regulators and food makers need to do?
The researchers call for monitoring systems tailored to multi-ingredient plant foods, which currently lack specific mycotoxin regulations. Andrea Patriarca, Senior Lecturer in Mycology at Cranfield University, said:
"Mycotoxins occur naturally in foods and cannot be completely avoided. As consumers, we should not be frightened or deterred from enjoying a variety of products."
She added that the bigger concern arises when new foods reach shelves without established rules. "There are currently no established regulations to monitor mycotoxins," she said. "We collaborate closely with various sectors in the food industry, from farmers to food companies, to help implement effective mycotoxin management integrated within food safety standards."
How will the findings be used?
The data set gives UK food safety agencies a concrete baseline for estimating dietary exposure. Patriarca's team now works with the University of Parma to model risk across different eating patterns. The goal is to advise policymakers and warn vulnerable groups about possible cumulative intake.
The project sits inside FunShield4Med, a Horizon Europe programme funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101079173.
What are the study's limits?
The survey captures one moment in the UK market, with one sample of each product. Mycotoxin levels vary by harvest year, region, and brand, so the results may not generalise to every item on every shelf. The work also measures contamination rates, not actual dietary intake. Even with those caveats, the headline finding stands: 0 out of 212 products tested were free of fungal toxins.
via dx.doi.org (Original)
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