Silver Spring, MD—In fiscal year 2019, the FDA analyzed 4,327 human food samples in its regulatory pesticide monitoring program, and found that 98.7 percent of domestic and 89.1 percent of import human foods were compliant with federal standards.

Also, according to FDA’s annual Pesticide Residue Monitoring Program Report for FY 2019, no pesticide chemical residues were found in 42.4 percent of the domestic and 49.4 percent of the import samples.

In fiscal 2019, FDA also analyzed 365 animal food samples for pesticides. The agency found that 98.4 percent of domestic and 95.4 percent of import food samples were compliant with federal standards. No pesticide chemical residues were found in 40.9 percent of the domestic and 43.7 percent of the import animal food samples.

Of the 4,327 human foods analyzed for pesticides in fiscal 2019, 1,258 were domestic samples and 3,069 were import samples. Samples collected under the domestic commodity groups “fruits’ and “vegetables accounted for the majority (71.1 percent) of domestic samples.

For the domestic samples, in the milk/dairy products/eggs commodity group, 91.4 percent of the 81 samples analyzed contained no pesticide residues and none were violative. For the import milk/dairy products/eggs commodity group, one egg sample was analyzed and had no violative residues.

Of the 365 animal food samples, 127 samples were domestic and 238 samples were imports. No residues were found in 52 (40.9 percent) of the 127 domestic samples, and two samples (1.6 percent) were violative. Of the 238 import samples, 104 (43.7 percent) contained no residues and 11 samples (4.6 percent) were violative. All 13 violations for fiscal 2019 were no tolerance violations.

In fiscal 2019, FDA conducted pesticide analyses for the field assignment “Domestically Produced Animal-Derived Foods” for which selected animal-derived foods were analyzed for pesticides and other chemical contaminants. FDA collected and analyzed 153 samples, consisting of 38 domestic milk, 42 shell eggs, 62 honey, and 11 game meat samples.

No violative pesticide residues were found in animal-derived food commodities except in two honey samples. All 38 domestic milk samples contained no residues.

Three federal agencies share responsibility for the regulation and oversight of pesticide chemical residues in or on food, the report explained. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registers (i.e., approves) the use of pesticides and establishes tolerances for pesticide chemical residues in or on food resulting from the use of the pesticides.

FDA enforces tolerances in both import and domestic foods shipped in interstate commerce, except for meat, poultry, Siluriformes fish, including catfish, and certain egg products, for which USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is responsible. FDA also monitors pesticide chemical residue levels in commodities representative of the US diet by carrying out market basket surveys under the Total Diet Study (TDS).

FDA samples individual lots of domestically produced and imported foods and analyzes them to determine whether they contain pesticide chemical residues that are “unsafe” within the meaning of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. This activity is carried out pursuant to the enforcement of tolerances established by EPA and includes the monitoring of food for residues of cancelled pesticides used in the past that persist in the environment, which may be addressed by FDA action levels.

Domestic samples of foods produced and held for sale in the US are typically collected close to the point of production in the distribution system. Import samples are collected when products are offered for entry into US commerce.

The goal of FDA’s pesticide residue monitoring program is to carry out selective monitoring to achieve an adequate level of consumer protection. The agency’s samples are primarily of the surveillance type, meaning there is no specific prior knowledge or evidence that a particular food shipment contains illegal residues.

However, FDA’s monitoring is not random or statistically designed; rather, emphasis is given to the sampling of certain commodities. Commodity choice is based upon multiple factors, including, among others: most frequently consumed or imported; dietary significance of the food; volume and product value of individual commodities of domestic food and of import food; and analysis of past problem areas.