Frequent EFSA regulation violation for wheat flours suggests stronger control and regulatory harmonization of production, milling and distribution

Wheat safety is a major concern for consumers worldwide. We assessed pesticides, mycotoxins and trace metals in 96 wheat flours marketed in France according to conventional/organic farming systems, supply chains and particle size. Pesticides were detected in 26% of samples, including permethrin EFSA violation in three conventional flours. We detected at least one mycotoxin in 76% of flours, and ochratoxin A MRL violation in three samples from organic farming. Pesticides were more frequent in conventional farming and short supply chain products, whereas mycotoxins were at higher concentration in organic than conventional flours. Trace metals were at higher concentrations in organic farming and less refined flours, with one non-compliance for cadmium. Multivariate analysis identified farming type as main driver of variability. More than 7.5% of samples failed to comply with at least one EFSA threshold, pointing out issues for pesticide use, storage time, land pollution, and regulation controls and harmonization worldwide.