Moulds in foods present an acute hazard to the consumer as they may produce mycotoxins. This review gives an overview of fungal genera that infect foods and describes the most important mycotoxins along with their mode of toxic action. Additionally, outbreaks of mycotoxicoses are summarized and the regulations in the European Union and in the USA to manage the risk of intoxication are presented. A further focus of the review is a summary of current analytical methods to quantify mycotoxins in foods.