1.Pollution status and hazards
Carcinogenicity and toxicity : Aflatoxin (especially type B1) is listed as a class 1 carcinogen by WHO. Toxicity of 1 mg is equivalent to 68 mg arsenic, which can lead to liver cancer, liver fibrosis and other diseases, and high temperature resistance (need more than 280℃ to decompose) .
Pollution scope : mainly polluted peanuts, tree nuts, grain and oil crops, nut and seed products exported from China because of aflatoxins exceeded the standard many times by the EU notified, in 2024 only peanuts were rejected by the EU border three times .
2.Typical cases of blocked exports
EU notification data : In 2016, the EU notified China of aflatoxoid contamination of nuts and seeds for 50 times, of which 48 batches of peanuts were rejected; In 2024, Spain, the Netherlands and other countries issued successive early warnings on Chinese peanuts, and the ROK stepped up import inspection .
Regional impact : The EU, as the main export market of China’s nuts (such as Xiamen port), increased trade risks due to excessive aflatoxins, which directly impacted the earnings of export enterprises .
3.International standards and regulatory pressure
EU limit requirements : for direct consumption of peanuts and nut products, aflatoxins B1≤2.0μg/kg and total toxins (B1+B2+G1+G2) ≤4.0μg/kg, which are stricter than the Chinese national standard .
Stricter inspection : The EU, South Korea and other countries have strengthened import controls through the rapid early warning system (RASFF) and special inspection directives, and export enterprises face higher risk of return due to excessive toxins in 2024 .
4.measures and improvement directions
Source control : Establish standardized management of planting bases to reduce the risk of raw material pollution; Promote frozen storage techniques (such as nuts ≤90 days) to inhibit mold growth .
Corporate responsibility : improve the quality management system, and actively cooperate with the quality inspection department to carry out toxin testing of raw materials and finished products to ensure that they meet the standards of the importing country .
Policy response : Follow up international standards (such as EU regulation revision), develop toxin degradation technology through “industry-university-research” cooperation, and improve product compliance.
