How To Be Sure Of Your Food Safety

We are more worried about germs in our food.

Yet less informed about the toxins that could cause liver cancer, kidney damage etc that we can’t see, even after cooking?

What I'm referring to are called Mycotoxins, relax it's not a big grammar I will break it down for you and I need you to read till the end to fully grasp the message and what you can do to reduce exposure to these toxins and prevent damage to your health.

What are Mycotoxins?

Mycotoxins are toxic substances naturally produced by certain moulds (fungi). These moulds grow on crops such as maize (corn), groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum, rice, wheat, dried fruits, nuts, and spices, especially under warm and humid conditions.

Importantly, mycotoxins are not just a “surface mould” issue.They can penetrate deep into food. And most of them are chemically stable, meaning normal cooking or processing does not reliably destroy them.

Why is this information important for you?

Exposure can happen in two ways:

Directly by eating contaminated grains, nuts, or spices.

Indirectly, through animal products such as milk from animals fed contaminated feed

Some mycotoxins can cause acute illness when consumed in large amounts.

However, the greater public health concern is long-term exposure at lower levels over time.

Health effects linked to different mycotoxins include:

Liver damage and increased liver cancer risk (aflatoxins)

Kidney toxicity (ochratoxin A)

Immune suppression

Hormonal (estrogenic) effects that may affect fertility (zearalenone)

Associations with oesophageal cancer in high-exposure settings (fumonisins)

Please note, this post is not meant to alarm you but to keep you informed.

Can you see mycotoxins?

Sometimes mould is visible e.g shrivelled grains, discolouration, musty smell, caked or damp nuts.

But the absence of visible mould does not guarantee safety.

Here are preventive measures you can take:

Buy grains and nuts that are properly dried and well-stored.

Avoid visibly damaged, mouldy, or shrivelled nuts or any staple you're buying.

Store food in dry, well-ventilated conditions, moisture is the major driver.

Do not keep grains or nuts for excessively long periods.

Maintain dietary diversity, relying heavily on one staple increases exposure risk.

Proper drying, safe storage, and routine quality control amongst farmers, food manufacturers, and in markets and feed supply chains are critical.

As climate variability increases heat and humidity patterns, strengthening food storage and quality control becomes even more important for nutrition security.

To ensure food safety, what we cook, how food is grown, dried, stored, and traded plays a vital role.