Mycotoxin Toxicity Assessment in the 21st Century: Where Are We on the Path to Alternatives?

An unprecedented global effort is currently underway to move away from animal studies and toward more human-relevant methods. While this shift is gaining momentum in biomedical research and preclinical safety assessment, how does it extend to the toxicological and regulatory evaluation of food contaminants? This review examines the current state of foodborne contaminant assessment, specifically mycotoxins, emphasizing both emerging efforts and persistent barriers to implementing an animal-free testing paradigm. Several initiatives from regulatory bodies signal a strong commitment to change. However, major challenges remain. Additionally, animal use in the European Union continues to be widespread in procedures related to food and feed safety, as well as in hazard assessment studies addressing exposure to mycotoxins. These considerations emphasize an urgent call to action to promote human-relevant approaches and advance safety assessment practices in the context of 21 st century technologies. • Global efforts are moving toxicology assessment away from animal studies. • Regulatory integration of NAMs in food safety remains limited. • Mycotoxin risk assessment represents an example of the slow adoption of NAMs. • Momentum from biomedical research should now drive innovation in food safety.