We Found Mycotoxins Where No One Was Looking
Clean Food Solutions Research Institute
Independent Research for a Safer Food Supply
Clean Food Solutions Research Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to independent scientific research, education, and public health.
Founded by Susan Gonya, BS, MA, RD, LDN, MSN, RN, CCRN, the Institute
grew from a simple but critical question:
What are we really feeding our children?
After years of research into environmental contributors to childhood
diseases, including Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), Susan identified a growing concern in the modern food supply: mycotoxins, or mold toxins.
Mycotoxins are toxic compounds produced by molds such as Fusarium, Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Alternaria. They can contaminate common foods including grains, cereals, oats, corn products, pasta, snack foods, and infant formula.
Why Mycotoxins Matter
Mycotoxins are an important but often overlooked food safety and
public health concern. Like pesticide residues, they are generally
invisible to consumers—we cannot see, taste, or smell them. Most contaminated foods look, taste, and smell completely normal, making laboratory testing essential for detection.
Emerging research suggests that chronic, low-level dietary exposure may contribute to gut inflammation, immune dysregulation, and developmental concerns, particularly in children. However, important gaps remain in our understanding of the extent of mycotoxin contamination in the food supply, the effects of exposure to multiple mycotoxins, and the effects of long-term dietary exposure.
Preliminary U.S. studies suggest that mycotoxin contamination may be a significant and underrecognized problem in the U.S. food supply. This issue deserves further independent research, particularly because infants and children may be exposed during critical periods of growth and development.
Our Research Focus
Clean Food Solutions Research Institute works to identify, understand,
and help reduce exposure to foodborne and environmental contaminants, with a primary focus on mycotoxins, early-life exposure, infants, children, and other vulnerable populations. But make no mistake, these poisonous compounds may adversely affect any human or animal who eats them.
The Institute conducts and supports scientific research, analyzes data,
publishes findings, and collaborates with academic, public health,
agricultural, and policy partners.
Our research seeks to:
Monitor foods for mycotoxins that are commonly consumed by the public
Assess the effects of multiple mycotoxin exposures or co-occurrences on humans
Study emerging and less-studied mycotoxins and their effects on humans
Examine the effects of dietary mycotoxins on the gastrointestinal tract, immune system, brain development, and overall health
Study the potential impact of early-life exposures on health, immune function, and cognitive functioning
Develop evidence-based strategies for reducing unnecessary exposure
Our approach is straightforward:
Find the facts and follow the evidence.
Education & Public Health
We are committed to scientific integrity, transparency, and
independence to produce research that can contribute to better public health decisions and safer food systems. Ultimately, our mission is to help close important gaps in scientific knowledge while giving families and communities the information they need to make informed decisions about their health.
We also aim to translate scientific information into practical resources
that help families better understand food safety, nutrition, mycotoxins, and their harmful environmental exposures. Our educational resources include information on nutrition and disease prevention, early-life exposures, and practical approaches to reducing exposure to harmful contaminants.
We believe families deserve to know what is in their food—and that access to clean, safe, and nourishing food should be a right, not a privilege.
In good health,
