Alternaria in Selected Foods - April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2018 and April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2022

Targeted surveys are used by the CFIA to focus its surveillance activities on areas of highest health risk. The information gained from these surveys provides support for the allocation and prioritization of the agency's activities to areas of greater concern. Originally started as a project under the Food Safety Action Plan (FSAP), targeted surveys have been embedded in the CFIA's regular surveillance activities since 2013. Targeted surveys are a valuable tool for generating information on certain hazards in foods, identifying and characterizing new and emerging hazards, informing trend analysis, prompting and refining health risk assessments, highlighting potential contamination issues, as well as assessing and promoting compliance with Canadian regulations.

Food safety is a shared responsibility. The CFIA works with federal, provincial, territorial and municipal governments and provides regulatory oversight of the food industry to promote safe handling of foods throughout the food production chain. The food industry and retail sectors in Canada are responsible for the food they produce and sell, while individual consumers are responsible for the safe handling of the food they have in their possession.

The variety of fresh bell/hot peppers, grain-based foods, infant foods, fruit juices, nut/seed products, pomegranate products, processed fruits and vegetables, sunflower oil, and grape-based wine is continuously increasing to meet consumers' demands. These foods and beverages are consumed to some extent by Canadian consumers, including infants and toddlers. Moulds may develop in the field, during transport and/or during storage on the raw ingredients of these foods and beverages. Alternaria is a type of mould widely distributed in the soil and occurs in the air. These species are known as plant pathogens and as common allergens in humans.

Alternaria species also produce multiple toxins called mycotoxins. The most important ones are AOH, AME, ALT and TeA. Due to the common presence of Alternaria, these mycotoxins are frequently found in a wide variety of commodities. Thesemycotoxins have been recorded in fruits, such as apples, dark grapes, and citrus fruits, in vegetables like tomatoes, peppers and olives, and in fruit juices and beverages. They have also been found in grains such as wheat and barley, in sunflower seeds, and in wine. Alternaria has been reported to be the most frequent fungi infecting tomatoes^Footnote 4.

Among the mycotoxins produced by this mould, TeA has the highest acute toxicity. In a study on mice, the oral administration of TeA salts to mice and rats resulted in cardiovascular collapse^Footnote 1. While the acute toxicity of AOH and AME is low, these mycotoxins have shown genotoxic and mutagenic properties in cell cultures and laboratory animals^Footnote 2. These mycotoxins have been observed to kill rat fetuses^Footnote 3. Inhalation of the mould can lead to asthma, infections and allergies. Dietary exposure has been linked to a variety of adverse health effects. TeA has been associated with human hematological disorders^Footnote 4.

The primary source of these mycotoxins in the human diet is fruit^Footnote 6. There are no Canadian or international regulations for TeA, ALT, AOH and/or AME levels in foods^Footnote 6. The use of fungicide is the most common approach to preventing mould formation.

The main objectives of this targeted survey were to generate baseline surveillance data on the levels of mycotoxins in foods that are known or suspected to be contaminated by the mould. In addition, the prevalence and levels of AOH and/or AME in this survey were compared with those reported in found other studies in the scientific literature. Most mycotoxins are not routinely monitored under other CFIA programs.

A variety of domestic and imported products from the following categories were sampled including: fresh bell/hot peppers, grain-based foods, infant foods, fruit juices, nut/seed products, pomegranate products, processed fruits and vegetables, sunflower oil, and grape-based wine. Products were sampled from April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2018 and from April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2022. Samples of products were collected from local/regional retail locations located in 6 major cities across Canada. These cities encompassed 4 Canadian geographical areas:

• Atlantic (Halifax)
• Quebec (Montreal)
• Ontario (Toronto and Ottawa)
• West (Vancouver and Calgary)

The number of samples collected from these cities was in proportion to the relative population of the respective areas. The samples originated in 44 countries.

Samples were analyzed by an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited food testing laboratory under contract with the Government of Canada. The results are based on the food products as sold and not necessarily as they would be consumed.

There are no regulations in Canada or elsewhere in the world for Alternaria mycotoxins in foods^Footnote 5. In the absence of a specific maximum level, the levels of Alternaria mycotoxins are assessed by Health Canada on a case-by-case basis using the most current scientific data available.

A total of 2597 samples of domestic and imported fresh peppers, grain-based foods, infant foods, juices, nut/seed products, pomegranate products, processed fruits and vegetables, sunflower oil, and wine were tested for the AOH and AME. ALT and TeA were not included in the analytical method because of a lack of commercially available standards. AOH and/or AME were detected in 1554 (60%) of the samples. The levels of AOH and AME were summed so that the total mycotoxin levels are reported in this survey. The total levels ranged from 0.046 ppb to 880 ppb. A summary of the testing results by each product type can be seen in Table 2.

The percentage of samples with mycotoxin levels detected ranged from 0% in fresh peppers to 81% in grain-based foods. The average level ranged from 1.9 ppb in wine to 165 ppb in pomegranate products. See Appendix A for a more detailed breakdown of the results by type of commodity (for example, by type of juice).

The detection rates for Alternaria mycotoxins in imported fresh peppers, grain-based foods, infant foods, juices, nut/seed products, pomegranate products, processed fruits and vegetables, sunflower oil, and wine in this survey were comparable to or lower than those reported in other survey years^Footnote 7 and/or other cited scientific literature^{Footnote 8Footnote 9Footnote 10Footnote 11Footnote 12Footnote 13Footnote 14Footnote 15Footnote 16Footnote 17Footnote 18Footnote 19Footnote 20Footnote 21Footnote 22Footnote 23Footnote 24Footnote 25Footnote 26Footnote 27Footnote 28Footnote 29Footnote 30}. The average and highest observed levels in this survey were comparable to or lower than those reported in previous years. Also consistent with other surveys, the level of these mycotoxins was observed to be lower in commonly consumed juices such as apple, orange and grape juices, and higher in juices containing pomegranate as a main ingredient.

N/A = not applicable

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Other regulatory agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Australia/New Zealand and the European Union are not currently publishing the testing results for Alternaria mycotoxins. A comparison of the exposure of Canadian consumers to these mycotoxins with persons in other countries is not possible.

Health Canada determined the levels of AOH and AME observed in the current survey are not expected to pose a concern to human health, therefore there were no recalls resulting from this survey. CFIA is conducting appropriate follow up activities which include further testing of similar products in subsequent years.

N/A = not applicable