USDA: 99% of Produce Samples Have Low Pesticide Levels
For the 25th year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Pesticide Data Program (PDP) has released its Annual Summary. The agency’s Agricultural Marketing Service conducts this program each year to collect data on pesticide residues in food. Overall, the report’s findings indicate that produce samples collected from across the U.S. show low levels of pesticide residue, based on very strict limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency.
This new report includes data from samples collected in 2015. The PDP works with state agencies representing all census regions of the country and approximately half of the U.S. population. In 2015, samples were collected and analyzed in California, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and Washington.