The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released its Pesticide Data Program (PDP) Annual Summary for 2023, which, consistent with previous years, showed more than 99 percent of sampled products to be compliant with pesticide residue tolerances set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Sampling and testing under PDP is conducted each year to provide insight into pesticide residues in the U.S. food supply. PDP tests a variety of domestic and imported foods, with an emphasis on foods that are commonly consumed by infants and children.

EPA sets maximum residue limits (MRLs) for pesticides in foods considering dietary pesticide exposure levels and health effects.

A total of 9,832 samples were tested in 2023, including almonds, apples, avocado, multiple types of fruit or vegetable-based baby foods, blackberries (fresh and frozen), celery, grapes, mushrooms, onions, plums, potatoes, sweet corn (fresh and frozen), tomatillos, tomatoes, and watermelon.

More than 99 percent of samples contained pesticide residue levels below EPA benchmarks, with 38.8 percent showing no detectable residues—an increase over 2022, in which 27.6 percent of samples had no detectable residue.

A total of 240 samples containing 268 pesticides violated EPA MRLs or contained residues for which no tolerance exists. Samples containing pesticides that exceeded established tolerances included 12 samples of fresh blackberries, one sample of frozen blackberries, one sample of baby food peaches, three samples of celery, nine samples of grapes, 18 samples of tomatillos, and four samples of tomatoes.

Residues with no established tolerance were found in 197 fresh and processed fruit and vegetable samples and one almond sample. Commodities that did not have any samples with pesticides for which no tolerance was established were avocado, baby food applesauce, baby food peas, baby food pears, fresh sweet corn, frozen sweet corn, and grapes.

Persistent Organic Pollutants in the U.S. Food Supply

PDP also surveils the food supply for persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including pesticides that have been banned in the U.S. but persist in the environment and may be taken up by plants. For example, toxic DDT, DDD, and DDE were found in 2.7 percent of potatoes, 0.9 percent of celery, and 0.4 percent of carrot baby food.

Some Argue EPA Pesticide Tolerances are Too High

Despite USDA PDP results showing pesticide residue levels to be compliant with EPA tolerances year after year, some disagree that U.S. produce is overwhelmingly safe from pesticide risks. In April 2024, Consumer Reports released an analysis of seven years of PDP data, arguing that EPA tolerances are set too high. Consumer Reports reevaluated PDP data using lower benchmarks than EPA MRLs, and raised alarm bells over certain commodities. A summary of Consumer Reports’ analysis can be read here.