We’ve had several people reach out to us lately to ask if our peanuts are tested for mold and/or aflatoxin. The answer is YES and YES, and we also test for many other potential hazards. Only peanuts, tree nuts, and other ingredients that meet strict food safety standards make it into our inventory, so rest assured that your Big Spoon Roasters nut butters are completely safe, as well as fresh and delicious.
There are great reasons for asking about mold and aflatoxin, and there's more to the story than just testing. Below, you can find more on the current science on the subject, as well as more about the specific variety of peanuts we use and why they have a much lower risk of mold and aflatoxin than others.
What are aflatoxins?
Aflatoxins are a family of mycotoxins (fungus toxins), which are toxic compounds produced by certain fungi (molds) that are most often found on agricultural crops such as corn, peanuts, cottonseed, and tree nuts. The primary strains of mold that produce aflatoxins are Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, which are abundant in warm and humid regions of the world. Aflatoxin-producing molds can contaminate crops in the field, at harvest, and during storage.
How are people exposed to aflatoxins?
People can be exposed to aflatoxins by eating contaminated plant products (such as peanuts) or by consuming meat or dairy products from animals that ate contaminated feed. Farmers and other agricultural workers can also be exposed to the toxins by inhaling dust generated during the handling and processing of contaminated crops and feeds.
How is Big Spoon Roasters reducing aflatoxin risk?
All Big Spoon Roasters peanuts and tree nuts are subject to rigorous food safety testing and receive a clean Certificate of Analysis (COA) before they are received into our inventory. For our peanut butters, we source the High Oleic Runner Variety cultivated and packed by our growing partners in Cordoba, Argentina. Argentina follows the European Union (EU) food safety standards, which means that peanuts grown for export must have less than 8 ppb aflatoxins per lot (European Commission Regulation 2023/915), compared with the FDA’s 20 ppb. Our High Oleic Runner peanuts come with less than 1 ppb.
Big Spoon Roasters peanuts have a naturally lower risk of aflatoxin.
Our High Oleic Runner peanuts are grown in the high plains of Córdoba, Argentina, which is near the legendary wine region of Mendoza. The same sunshine, naturally rich soil, and arid climate that make this beautiful corner of the world perfect for wine grapes also makes it ideal for peanut cultivation. Mold likes wet, humid conditions and does not do well in the dry climate of Córdoba, so our peanuts have the advantage of a lower aflatoxin risk from the very start.
Our Argentine grower partners are skilled farmers who are just as dedicated to sustainability as they are to quality, and they have no need to use chemical fertilizers or irrigation inputs. In fact, just like with wine grapes, when the peanuts have to work just a tad harder, they become naturally sweeter and more complex. That’s exactly what we want. Thankfully, incredible small-batch quality and impeccable food safety can go hand-in-hand.
What happens if you’re exposed to aflatoxins?
Acute exposure can cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, convulsions, and other signs of acute liver injury. Chronic exposure can lead to impaired growth, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. In adults, it can also cause malnutrition, immunomodulation, and psychosis. Animal studies suggest that aflatoxin exposure may increase the risk of prematurity and pregnancy loss. For our fur babies, aflatoxin can cause sluggishness, loss of appetite, vomiting, jaundice, unexplained bruising or bleeding, and/or diarrhea. In some cases, aflatoxins can affect blood clotting and cause long-term liver problems and/or death. Source: Aflatoxin Effect on Health, Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the general risk level of aflatoxin exposure?
Good news: Thanks to widely practiced food safety measures and testing in our country, the risk of end consumers being exposed to aflatoxin in American-made food products is very low. According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA): To date, there has never been a human illness outbreak caused by aflatoxins in the US, where foods are carefully regulated and inspected to prevent such an occurrence.
That said, regulatory bodies recognize that the molds that produce aflatoxins, and therefore aflatoxins themselves, are naturally occurring substances and can never be reduced to zero. For human foods, the FDA sets the limit for aflatoxins at 20 parts per billion (ppb) and considers food with higher levels to be adulterated, meaning that they should not make it into the marketplace, and if they have, be recalled.
How is the American peanut industry at-large reducing aflatoxin risk?
Aflatoxins were identified more than 50 years ago, and ever since, the American peanut industry has devoted considerable resources to ensure that it is kept below the FDA maximum limit. Cleaning, shelling, sorting and blanching (removal of peanut skins) are key steps in identifying and eliminating damaged peanuts which may have developed aflatoxins from getting into the food supply. For products such as peanut butter, the FDA conducts random checks and removes products from sale that fail food safety standards. Also, aflatoxin does not form in peanut butter once it is packed in containers; it must be present in the peanuts before peanut butter production begins. In fact, roasting peanuts can significantly reduce the presence of aflatoxins if a particular lot is already affected. According to a recent study, roasting at 160, 180, 200 °C resulted in aflatoxin reductions of 61.6, 83.6, 89.7%, respectively. Source: Food Research International, July 2017.
In summary, the risk of aflatoxin exposure in the United States is relatively low, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do all we can to minimize the chance of exposure. We’re here for you!