Agriculture leaders across North Carolina are urging farmers to have their wheat tested after officials found high levels of a toxin in wheat samples from parts of the state. This toxin could prove harmful to humans if ingested.
Steve Troxler, NC’s Agriculture Commissioner said that vomitoxin has been found in samples from central and northeastern North Carolina. The toxin is a byproduct of a fungus that has been found on the wheat.
Officials say that testing is urgent because farmers harvesting their wheat may not know the fungus is there, so it may continue contaminating wheat as it moves to storage bins. North Carolina will be providing free testing.
Dan Weathington of the North Carolina Small Grain Growers Association said he’s confident there are enough protections in place to prevent harmful grain from entering the food supply. It is advisable to keep awareness levels high in regards to your wheat consumption until this is behind us.
One way to protect your family’s health when it comes to eating wheat would be to buy from organic sources and verify its date. If these pieces of information are not available then it is better to err on the side of caution and avoid wheat until further notified.
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