Food Safety and Quality:
Existing Detection and Control Programs Minimize Aflatoxin
RCED-91-109: Published: May 22, 1991. Publicly Released: May 22, 1991.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
Contact:
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined the risks posed by the presence of aflatoxin in the domestic food supply and efforts to detect and control aflatoxin levels.
GAO found that: (1) corn and peanuts were the crops most susceptible to aflatoxin contamination; (2) aflatoxin posed less of a domestic food safety risk than such other hazards as salmonella and listeria; (3) aflatoxin was more prevalent during a drought because low rainfall and high temperatures encourage the growth and survival of molds that produce it; (4) testing 100 percent of a susceptible crop was not possible, since the testing process destroyed the commodity; (5) there was no direct, causal evidence linking aflatoxin to liver cancer; (6) available test results indicated that the food supply was safe from high levels of aflatoxin; (7) federal, state, and industry programs were established to detect and control aflatoxin, but the varied nature of those programs contributed to a general lack of comprehensive information regarding the extent of aflatoxin outbreaks in crops; and (8) federal, state, and industry efforts appeared to be effective in minimizing aflatoxin in the domestic food supply.
Jan 15, 2021
Farmworkers:
Additional Information Needed to Better Protect Workers from Pesticide ExposureGAO-21-63: Published: Jan 15, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 15, 2021.
Nov 20, 2020
-
Food Safety:
CDC Could Further Strengthen Its Efforts to Identify and Respond to Foodborne IllnessesGAO-21-23: Published: Oct 21, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 20, 2020.
Nov 16, 2020
-
Farm Programs:
USDA Has Improved Its Completion of Eligibility Compliance Reviews, but Additional Oversight Is NeededGAO-21-95: Published: Oct 30, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 16, 2020.
Sep 16, 2020
-
Agriculture Spending:
Opportunities Exist for USDA to Identify Successes and Challenges of the Farmers to Families Food Box Program to Inform Future EffortsGAO-20-711R: Published: Sep 16, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 16, 2020.
Sep 14, 2020
-
USDA Market Facilitation Program:
Information on Payments for 2019GAO-20-700R: Published: Aug 21, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 14, 2020.
Aug 10, 2020
-
National Bio and Agro-defense Facility:
DHS and USDA Are Working to Transfer Ownership and Prepare for Operations, but Critical Steps RemainGAO-20-331: Published: Jul 10, 2020. Publicly Released: Aug 10, 2020.
May 7, 2020
-
Food Safety:
FDA and USDA Could Strengthen Existing Efforts to Prepare for Oversight of Cell-Cultured MeatGAO-20-325: Published: Apr 7, 2020. Publicly Released: May 7, 2020.
Apr 13, 2020
-
Priority Open Recommendations:
U.S. Department of AgricultureGAO-20-288PR: Published: Apr 6, 2020. Publicly Released: Apr 13, 2020.
Dec 23, 2019
-
Nutrition Assistance Programs:
Agencies Could Do More to Help Address the Nutritional Needs of Older AdultsGAO-20-18: Published: Nov 21, 2019. Publicly Released: Dec 23, 2019.
Dec 6, 2019
-
Imported Seafood Safety:
Actions Needed to Improve FDA Oversight of Import Alert Removal DecisionsGAO-20-62: Published: Nov 6, 2019. Publicly Released: Dec 6, 2019.
Looking for more? Browse all our products here
Explore our Key Issues on Agriculture and Food
Explore our other Key Issues here
