Two Spanish groups have expressed concern that almonds from the US do not meet European safety requirements.
The Valencian Farmers' Association (AVA-ASAJA) and the Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives of Murcia (FECOAM) recently commented on the discovery of aflatoxin in almonds from the United States.
AVA-ASAJA cited a September alert from the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), which stated that total aflatoxins were detected at 29.3 µg/kg, while the EU maximum limit for almonds for direct consumption is 10 µg/kg. The implicated Almond was detained by an operator in Germany.
The association said U.S. imports repeatedly failed to meet food safety standards due to excessive aflatoxin levels and urged people to buy almonds from Europe.
Cristobal Aguado, chairman of AVA-ASAJA, called on European officials to tighten controls on imports of American almonds to prevent unhealthy products from entering the market.
The US is a major almond producer with a share of around 80 percent, while Spain is the leading producer in Europe. The current regulation means that pre-export checks replace or reduce documentary, identification and physical controls for imports into the EU.
The harvest in Valencia was expected to suffer slightly due to factors such as lack of rainfall and high temperatures during the summer months.
Call for additional controls
In 2025, 10 RASFF notices were issued for US almonds. Six mentioned aflatoxin or mycotoxin, three due to salmonella and one due to insects. Four were notifications of refusal to cross the border.
There have also been several reports of aflatoxin B1 and total aflatoxin in almonds from Spain and Italy.
Fecoam calls for stronger controls on US nuts in Europe and Spain
The federation said stricter checks were needed to prevent the introduction of almonds contaminated with aflatoxin, which pose a serious health risk to consumers.
“We are asking for even stricter controls at ports and customs in Spain and throughout the EU when it comes to controlling the import of almonds, pistachios and other nuts from the US,” said Pedro Guerrero of Fecoam.
“There is a need to raise government and public awareness of the dangers posed by the importation of nuts containing aflatoxins from the United States.”
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