Establishing a baseline dataset of factors associated with mycotoxin risk in Indian village food systemsAWenndtauthorHSudiniauthorRNelsonauthorMycotoxin contamination in food systems has serious implications for agricultural output and human health. Here, we report on the results of a preliminary survey of mycotoxin risk factors in 1 village in Telangana and a subsequent survey across 9 villages spanning cultural and agroecological contexts. In the preliminary survey, aflatoxin was detected in 6.5% of household food samples, of which 35.7% exceeded the Indian legal limit (30 ppb) for consumption. Fumonisin was detected in 20% of all samples analyzed, but at low levels (etc.) or grown on a villager’s own farm had higher aflatoxin levels than food items acquired via market transactions. Surveys in 9 villages yielded 811 samples of staple food items and a semi-qualitative database of household- and vendor-level risk factors. Aflatoxin B1 was detected (≥1 ppb) in 21.6% of food samples. Overall, 10.5% of samples were contaminated with aflatoxin B1 at levels greater than the Indian legal limit. Groundnut, maize, sorghum, and rice were the most contaminated commodities in both surveys. Observed food consumption behaviors suggest that these commodities may be important contributors to dietary aflatoxin intake across all sites. Ongoing analyses will enable deeper evaluation of the major behavioral, geospatial, and biological contributors to mycotoxin accumulation within and across study sites.Plant PathologyAflatoxins2017-02American Phytopathological Society (APS)Article