Article by Pnut King

Food Safety Standards For Exporting Peanuts to Europe and the USA

Published on 08/26/2026 in Peanut News

Peanuts are sent over the world as a raw material for snacks, peanut butter, sweets, baked goods and sauces. If you want to sell in markets like Europe and the USA you need more than just a standard spec sheet. Buyers and food makers in these places expect suppliers to have systems for food safety, contamination, testing, tracking, hygiene and paperwork.

If you are exporting you should understand these rules well before you send your shipment. If a shipment fails food-safety checks it does not just get delayed. The shipment can be rejected, sent for testing or cause a huge mess for your money and your reputation.

The main things exporters must watch are aflatoxin control, pesticide residues, microbiological safety, foreign-material control, traceability, storage conditions, documentation and following the law.

Why Food Safety Matters So Much for Peanut Exports

Peanuts can easily get contaminated by fungus at every step—growing, harvesting, drying, moving and storing. The biggest thing to watch for is aflatoxin, which's a type of toxin made by certain moulds.

Heat, humidity, rain and bad storage all make the risk of fungus grow. This is why you cannot just test before you ship and think you are done. You need to have controls working through the supply chain not just at the end.

If you do it right using drying, managing moisture keeping things clean using good storage sorting well and testing often can really lower the risk of contamination.

Getting Peanuts Into Europe: Whats Required

The EU is very strict about things that contaminate food. Regulation (EU) 2023/915 sets the levels for many contaminants, including mycotoxins like aflatoxins.

1. Aflatoxin Control

This is probably the food-safety worry for anyone sending peanuts to Europe.

The rules in the EU change based on the contaminant and the type of food so you should check what applies to your specific peanut product instead of just saying "aflatoxin tested."

A real Certificate of Analysis should say exactly what was tested and what the results were. Also the work to prevent problems should start at the farm not at the warehouse. It needs to happen during drying, processing and storage

Taking out mouldy or damaged kernels keeping moisture low storing peanuts correctly and using cleaning and sorting all help here.

2. Pesticide Residues

Peanuts going into Europe must stay below the EU limits for pesticide residues.

Exporters should keep records of what was put on the crops and make sure those products were used the way. Testing should follow whatever the buyer or the destination market asks for.

3. Microbiological Safety

There is also a side to worry about, like Salmonella. This is more important for peanuts that people eat directly or use for processing.

Using farming habits, clean processing, solid cleaning programs, careful handling and the right testing all help lower this risk.

4. Traceability and Documentation

Tracking your products is not optional when exporting food. You must be able to trace peanuts back to where they came from and follow a batch through processing, packing, storage and shipping.

The paperwork you will usually need includes:

• Certificate of Analysis
• Product specifications
• Batch or lot identification
• Traceability records
• Aflatoxin test results
• Pesticide residue results
• test results, where relevant
• Packing list
• Commercial invoice
• Whatever certificates the shipment specifically needs

What you actually need will depend on the product, where it comes from who is buying it and the rules of the destination.

Special EU Import Controls

Some products from countries face extra checks because of known food-safety risks. EU Regulation 2019/1793 sets up controls for certain food and feed imports.

It is smart to check if your specific country and product are on these -control lists before you ship. These rules change so do not assume that because a past shipment was fine the next one will be too. Always check the rules every time.

Getting Peanuts Into the USA: Whats Required

The USA is just as strict, even more so about imported food. Everything that comes in must meet US rules. Be safe, clean and labeled correctly.

1. Aflatoxin Requirements

Aflatoxin control is very important for peanuts going into the US market.

For peanuts meant for people to eat the USDAs Agricultural Marketing Service manages the rules for both local and imported raw peanuts. Under its inspection program the USDA limit is 15 parts per billion (ppb) or total aflatoxin for raw edible peanuts.

The FDA also has rules listing 20 ppb total aflatoxins as an action level for peanuts and peanut products.

Since peanuts and processed peanut products might have different rules you should confirm exactly which rules apply to your product.

2. FDA Facility Registration and Prior Notice

Any factory that makes, processes, packs or holds food for the US must follow FDA food facility registration.

Also imported shipments must follow FDA notice rules. Work with your US buyer to make sure the right info is sent before the shipment arrives. Do not leave this until the minute.

3. Foreign Supplier Verification

US importers might have duties under the Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP). This means exporters should be ready to give info that proves they have food-safety controls.

This might mean giving hazard assessments testing records, details on supplier controls, processing info, traceability papers and certificates of analysis.

4. Labelling and Product Compliance

Imported food must follow US labelling rules. Products sold in stores usually need the info in English and must follow FDA rules.

Bulk raw peanuts might have labelling rules than products ready for stores. Check the packaging and labelling rules with your buyer before you ship—do not assume the store rules are the same for everything.

Requirement	Europe	USA
Aflatoxin	EU contaminant limits	FDA/USDA requirements
Pesticide residues	EU MRLs	U.S. requirements
Facility requirements	EU food hygiene framework	FDA registration
Import controls	EU official controls	FDA import controls
Traceability	Strong requirement	Strong supplier/importer controls
Testing	Regulatory and buyer requirements	USDA/FDA and buyer requirements

Because of this exporters should not think that passing one market means they have passed the other. Each market has its way of doing things so it is best to treat them separately.

Best Practices for Peanut Exporters

A good export program depends on stopping problems before they happen not checking after the fact.

• Control things at the start. Watch closely during harvesting, drying, moisture levels and storage conditions from the beginning.
• Sort correctly. Get rid of moldy damaged bad kernels before they create issues later.
• Test often. Test samples from batches for aflatoxins, pesticide residues, microbiological factors and other things that could cause problems.
• Keep traceability. Use batch numbers and keep all records from the supplier all the way to the shipment.
• Use labs. Go with laboratories that use the methods and facilities that buyers and government agencies actually want.
• Check your suppliers. Look at their quality, farming methods, food-safety systems and how their past test results have been.
• Make sure the paperwork is correct. Ensure that certificates and test reports match the shipment and the specific batch being sent. Not an one.

Final Export Checklist

Before sending peanuts to Europe or the USA check that:

• Aflatoxin levels meet the rules of the country you are sending to
• Pesticide levels are within the allowed limits
• All the needed microbiological testing has been done
• The product meets the details in the purchase contract
• The batch and lot numbers are fully tracked
• The packaging and labels follow the rules of the country you are sending to
• All the needed certificates and business papers are ready
• All the FDA procedures are completed for shipments going to the US
• All the checks required by the EU have been done
• The lab results match the shipment that is being sent

Final Point

Food-safety compliance is not something that can be ignored. It is essential for successfully sending peanuts to Europe and the USA. Aflatoxins, pesticide residues, microbiological problems, bad storage and weak tracking are the dangers that exporters must handle.

The best way is to add safety steps at every part of the process. Growing, picking, processing, storing, testing keeping records and shipping. Of depending on just one step to catch everything.

Exporters who keep the quality the same keep the records accurate have tracking and make sure their food-safety systems really work end up with fewer rejections more satisfied buyers and better business relationships in two of the hardest food markets in the world.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the biggest food-safety worry when sending peanuts?

Aflatoxin is the worry. Peanuts are likely to get fungus during growing, drying and storing. Managing moisture well sorting properly controlling storage and testing are all important for keeping it under control.

Do the limits for aflatoxin stay the same in the US and Europe?

No they are different based on the rules, in each place. Always check what applies to your product and where you are sending it before you ship.

Are peanuts sent to the USA checked by the FDA?

Yes. Depending on the place and the product this can include FDA registration, Prior Notice, food-safety steps and import rules.

What tests are usually needed for exporting peanuts?

Aflatoxins, pesticide levels, Salmonella and other microbiological tests are often needed. The exact requirements depend on where the peanuts are going what kind they are and what the buyer asks for.

How can exporters lower food-safety risks?

Control the moisture and storage properly keep the processing clean do the right lab tests check suppliers carefully and keep full records of where everything came from.