A new study of plant-based meat and milk alternatives sold in the UK found that every product tested contained at least one mycotoxin, a naturally occurring compound produced by certain molds that can contaminate crops such as grains, legumes, seeds and nuts.
The experimental market survey, published in Food Control, does not show that these foods are unsafe or that eating plant-based alternatives causes harm. Instead, it raises a food safety monitoring question: As plant-based products become more common and more complex, researchers say regulators may need better data on how much exposure people get from these foods over time.
Researchers tested 212 plant-based products sold in the UK, including burgers, vegetarian chicken pieces, vegan sausages and oat-, almond- and soy-based drinks. They screened the products for 19 mycotoxins.
All of the products contained at least one mycotoxin, and some contained more than one. The researchers reported that levels in the tested foods were below European Union guideline levels, which are safety limits used in Europe to help control exposure to contaminants in food.
That point matters. Finding a contaminant in food is not the same as finding a dangerous level of exposure. Risk depends on the amount detected, how often someone eats the food and what the rest of their diet looks like.
“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,” said Andrea Patriarca, senior lecturer in mycology at Cranfield University.
Patriarca said the larger concern is how newer food categories are monitored as they become more widely available.
“However, a significant concern arises when new foods enter the market, as there are currently no established regulations to monitor mycotoxins,” Patriarca said.
The study does not mean plant-based diets are uniquely risky. Mycotoxins can occur in many crop-based foods, including ingredients used far beyond plant-based meat and dairy alternatives. It also did not compare the overall risks and benefits of plant-based products with animal-based foods.
The findings are most useful as a reminder that “plant-based” is not a food safety guarantee. Like any category, these products depend on ingredient sourcing, storage, processing and monitoring.
The researchers said their data could help support more accurate dietary exposure assessments in the UK, especially for people who consume plant-based alternatives frequently.
The study also points to a broader challenge for food safety systems: New food trends can move faster than monitoring frameworks. As plant-based products continue to expand, researchers say more work is needed to understand cumulative exposure and identify whether some products, ingredients or eating patterns deserve closer attention.
This work was carried out under the Horizon Europe FunShield4Med project, funded by the European Union. The research is also part of the PRISMA project, which is supported by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program under a Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant.