Occurrence and Control of Mycotoxins in Foodstuffs in Cyprus

The Competent authority in Cyprus for the official control of foodstuffs is the Ministry of Health with its two Departments, the State General Laboratory (SGL) and the Medical and Public Health Services (MPHs). The SGL is the official control Laboratory, for surveillance, monitoring and applied research in the field of food, water, environment, drugs, consumer products and forensic chemistry, and is accredited since 2002. The first draft of Cyprus Legislation for mycotoxins in foodstuffs was enacted in 1986 and now almost all the national food legislation has been amended in order to comply with the relevant EU legislation. The full harmonization to the EU legislation for mycotoxins will be finalized by the end of 2003.