Why homemade food is not automatically safer

We recently read an online article that examined the mycotoxin and pesticide levels in various bread mixes. Numerous products were rated as ‘poor’. However, this does not mean that EU limits were exceeded, but merely that more than half of the respective limit was used up. The article concludes by recommending that bread be made from high-quality organic ingredients without using baking mixes.

Such articles are not isolated cases. Time and again, we read articles in which consumers are unsettled or misled by simplistic statements, such as that ‘simply making your own bread’ is fundamentally better than buying it from supposedly ‘evil food manufacturers’.

We would therefore like to briefly clarify and explain the situation here – perhaps this will also be helpful for conversations during the holidays.

Is organic always better? Or should we even expect more mycotoxins here because fewer fungicides are used?

The EU limits for mycotoxins apply equally to organic and non-organic products. An organic label is no guarantee of lower mycotoxin levels. It is often hypothesised that organic products are more contaminated with mycotoxins because fewer fungicides are used, leading to more fungal infestation. Several studies (1, 2) have been conducted on this question. There are no significant differences between organic and conventional farming. Rather, other factors play a decisive role, such as weather conditions, harvest years, locations, soil cultivation and crop rotation.

Mycotoxins are therefore found in both organic and conventional cereals.

How do manufacturers prevent contaminated batches from ending up in products?

Several parties are usually involved in food production. Mycotoxins can be tested at various stages, for example in the raw materials at the mill, in the manufacturer's quality assurance department or in reserve samples taken by retailers.

The EFSA regularly publishes up-to-date data on which mycotoxins are currently to be expected in which regions. On this basis, producers can carry out targeted, risk-based controls. However, relying solely on predictions is a false sense of security. Recalls occur regularly, with an unknown number of unreported cases. This shows that quality controls need to be further optimised, for example through more frequent testing, representative sampling and careful homogenisation of samples, as mycotoxins are not evenly distributed. The number of recalls has risen in recent years, which is partly due to more frequent testing – an overall positive sign.

Are foods from discounters less safe than branded products?

It is not possible to make a blanket statement on this.

All major retail chains in Germany are regularly affected by recalls. These include discounters such as Aldi, Netto and Penny, as well as supermarkets such as Rewe, Edeka and Kaufland. Recall notifications are published centrally via government portals. However, they do not allow a direct comparison of which retailers are affected more frequently, as this would require recalls to be put in relation to the number of products sold. Absolute figures are not meaningful.

Now to the statement that homemade products are fundamentally safer:

Baking with purchased flour is no safer than using a baking mix in terms of mycotoxins. The same applies to purchased grains that are ground at home. The raw materials come from the same supply chains; the only difference is in the processing step.

Completely avoiding shopping at the supermarket and growing and processing your own grain in your garden would theoretically be the most radical solution, but by no means the safest. There is a great deal of uncertainty here, as there are no controls whatsoever. The risk of extremely high contamination is real. A historical example is the so-called St. Anthony's fire. This disease occurred in the Middle Ages when people consumed rye contaminated with ergot. The ergot fungus produces ergot alkaloids, which can cause gastrointestinal, neurological and psychological symptoms, in severe cases leading to the loss of limbs or death. In the Middle Ages, this resulted in thousands of deaths. A return to these conditions can therefore hardly be a sensible solution.

Our conclusion: It's not black and white. Yes, food manufacturers want to make money and have no interest in incurring unnecessarily high analysis costs. At the same time, however, they have just as little interest in product recalls, as these incur extremely high costs and are associated with considerable damage to their image. Thanks to EU legislation, our food is generally very safe.

What is really important is a balanced and varied diet, responsible monitoring by food manufacturers, continuous adjustment of EU limit values to the current state of knowledge, and factual reporting that informs consumers rather than unnecessarily unsettling them.

SAFIA enables the rapid and accurate detection of multiple mycotoxins in a single measurement, making it cost-effective – so that food safety is not a question of money!