are susceptible to this toxin. Clinical signs of avian ochratoxicosis generally involve reduction in weight gains, poor feed conversion, reduced egg production, and poor egg shell quality. Economic losses occur also in swine farms, linked to nephropathy and costs for the disposal of carcasses. Toxicity does not seem to constitute a problem in cattle, as the rumen harbors protozoa that hydrolyze OTA. However, contamination of milk is a possibility. Dietary guidelines EFSA established in 2006 the "tolerable weekly intake" (TWI) of ochratoxin A (on advice of the Scientific Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain) at 120 ng/kg., equivalent to a tolerable daily intake (TDI) of 14 ng/kg. Other organizations have established even lower limits for intake of ochratoxin A, based on the consumption habits of the population. For USA, the FDA considers a TDI of 5 ng/kg. In the US, mean body weight for men is 86 kg, and for women 74 kg. Hence, the TDI for men is 430 ng and for women is 370 ng. In the joined table "weight in kg" is the weight eaten per day of each of the listed foodstuffs. Diet 1, with small quantities of ginger, nutmeg, and paprika, a good serving of dry raisins, a reasonable amount of coffee, cereals, wine, pulses, and salami, amounts to a safe diet (as for ochratoxin, at least), with 286 ng per day. However, it would be easy to go into excessive levels (Diet 1+), just by eating 200 g of pig kidney and 200 g of peanuts, which would lead to a total of nearly 462 ng of ochratoxin. This shows how delicate a safe diet can be. Although ochratoxin A is not held as of today as responsible for renal cell carcinoma (RCC), the most frequent renal cancer, it is frequently written that dietary pattern might decrease or increase the risk of RCC. A Uruguayan case-control study correlates intake of meat with occurrence of RCC. A very large prospective cohort in Sweden explores correlations between RCC occurrence, diets rich in vegetables and poultry (so-called "healthy diets"), and diets rich in meat (especially processed meat: salami, black pudding). The thesis defended is that more fruit and vegetables might have a protective role. Fruit (except raisins and dried fruit) are very poor in ochratoxin, and processed meat can be rich in ochratoxin. Dermal exposure Ochratoxin A can permeate through the human skin. Although no significant