Although there is no “safe” level of exposure, the U.S. government considers aflatoxins to be an unavoidable contaminant of food and acknowledges that low levels may be present. U.S. food safety regulations include a limit of 20 µg/kg for total aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1 and G2) in all foods except milk and a limit of 0.5 µg/kg for M1 in milk. Higher limits apply for animal feeds. 26

The European Union also regulates the amount of aflatoxin permitted in foodstuffs and sets even lower contamination levels. In the EU, the highest permissible concentration for food intended for direct human consumption is 10 µg/kg, but only 0.05 ppb for M1 in milk. 27   A 2006 international consensus review on aflatoxins noted that at least 99 countries had regulations, a 30% increase from 1995.28  However, there still in exists a lack of regulations in lesser-populated countries and no clear regulation in many other developing countries.