Background

This is a paper for discussion. This does not represent the views of the Committee and should not be cited.

1.               The mycotoxins T-2 and HT-2 were previously assessed by the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) in 2018 (COT, 2018) and 2021 (COT, 2021), reviewing their presence in the diet of infants and young children and the potential implications of combined mycotoxin exposure, respectively.

2.               In 2020, the European Commission (EC) proposed establishing maximum levels (ML) for the mycotoxins T-2 and HT-2 in foods, which were lower than the current indicative levels set out in the European Commission Recommendation 2013/165/EU. Following the proposal, maximum legislative levels came into force in the European Union (EU) on the 1st of July 2024. These maximum levels were established for the sum of T-2 and HT-2 toxins only. Maximum levels were not established for the modified forms of T-2 and HT-2 (such as neosolaniol (NEO) or 4,15-diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS)) due to limited occurrence data, and the absence of a suitable routine method available for their analysis.

3.               In light of the new EU maximum levels, the COT was asked by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to assess the risk to UK consumers from T-2 and HT-2 in foods. As part of this work, the COT considered “the existing health-based guidance values (HBGVs) for T-2 and HT-2 mycotoxins set by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)” in February 2023 (TOX/2023/04).

4.               To assist the COT with the assessment of the risk of T-2 and HT-2 from food, the FSA and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) undertook a call for evidence from July 2023 to October 2023. The data call focussed on the collection of data from the cereals supply chain, from field to retail level. While T-2 and HT-2 have been detected in products of animal origin (POAO), likely as a result of contamination of feed (EFSA, 2017c), this data call did not include occurrence data for meat and dairy products and hence they have not been included here. A discussion paper, focussing on the exposure from T-2 and HT-2 was presented to the COT in July 2024 (TOX/2024/24) and in March 2025 (TOX/2025/14), following feedback from the Committee.

5.               This statement discusses the risk for T-2 and HT-2 mycotoxins in food, focussing on the exposure from the consumption of cereal grains and, where available, products thereof.