Every one of the 212 plant-based meat alternatives and drinks that researchers pulled off UK shelves contained at least one mycotoxin, a naturally occurring toxic compound produced by fungi. The screening was led by the University of Parma with co-authors at the University of Valencia and Cranfield University.
The findings, published in the journal Food Control in 2026, covered 92 meat alternatives and 120 drinks such as oat, almond and soy milk.
Every concentration measured stayed below EU regulatory limits for cereals. What the authors flag is not one dangerous product, but the pattern of many toxins turning up together and adding up over years of daily eating.
Which toxins showed up most
In the meat alternatives, emerging Fusarium toxins such as enniatins and beauvericin were detected in 93 to 99 percent of samples. Alternaria toxins turned up in 75 to 86 percent.
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Aflatoxins, which the World Health Organization classifies as Group 1 carcinogens and links to liver cancer, were present in up to 82.6 percent of meat alternatives, and in 66.7 percent of legume-based products specifically.
The plant-based drinks contained lower concentrations overall, but the frequency of detection was still high. Beauvericin and enniatins were found in 72 to 100 percent of beverages, and ochratoxin A appeared in 90 percent of soy-based drinks.
Legume-based products and mixed cereal-legume products carried the heaviest loads. Both categories rely on raw materials, peas, soy, wheat and other grains, that can pick up fungal contamination during growing, harvest or storage.
Why the finding matters
Regulators set limits for one toxin in one commodity at a time. A person who eats plant-based meat and drinks plant-based milk several times a week is exposed to multiple mycotoxins at once, which current rules do not model.
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Long-term, mycotoxin exposure has been linked to liver and kidney damage, immune suppression and cancer.
Dr. Andrea Patriarca, Senior Lecturer in Mycology at Cranfield University, warned against alarm. "Mycotoxins occur naturally in foods and cannot be completely avoided. As consumers, we should not be frightened or deterred from enjoying a variety of products," he said.
He added that new products entering the market currently sit outside established monitoring regimes for these toxins.
The practical takeaway from the researchers is variety, not avoidance. Rotating between different product categories and brands limits how much of any single toxin can build up in the diet. Anyone with liver, kidney or immune concerns who eats these products daily should raise it with their doctor.
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The study, funded by the EU's Horizon Europe FunShield4Med project, calls on regulators to extend mycotoxin monitoring into finished plant-based products, not just their raw ingredients.
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This article is made and published by Jesper Bengtson, who may have used AI in the preparation.