Pesticide Data Program Highlights
Safe Food Supply
The USDA’s Pesticide Data Program (PDP) recently released data for samples collected in the calendar year 2003. This is the 13th year of the project, which collects food samples (both nationally grown and imported) from around the U.S.A. and analyzes them for pesticide residues. Of the 11,522 commodity samples collected and analyzed, 9,732 (85%) were fruits and vegetables including asparagus, cantaloupe, sweet corn, green bean, mushroom, onion, peach, pear, pea, spinach, bell pepper, sweet potato, and tomato. Of these fruit and vegetables samples, over half (57%) had no detectable residues (parent or metabolites). Limit of detection for most of these analyses was two parts per billion.
Even more reflective of grower’s safe use of pesticides was the very few instances where analytical residues were greater than the tolerance. Of the 11,522 food samples, only 35 detections (0.3%) were above the tolerance, which is the amount of pesticide legally allowed in a commodity. In most cases, these offending residues were detected at very low levels and some residues may result from spray drift or crop rotations. Of the 794 finished drinking water samples analyzed, no residues exceeded the EPA’s maximum contaminant levels (MCLs).
In late 2002, EPA identified the triazole-derivative class of fungicides and their metabolites as a critical data need. In response to this need, the PDP collected and analyzed apple, peach, and wheat flour samples in 2003. In up to 1,990 samples, no residues were detected that exceeded the established tolerance for triazole fungicides and regulated metabolites in apple, peach, or wheat flour.
One of the interesting trends in the analyses is U.S.A.-grown versus import residues (mostly produce such as asparagus, cantaloupe, cucumber, bell pepper, and tomato). Generally, imports had a higher percentage of commodity containing detectable residues (e.g. U.S.A. cucumbers contained residues 57% of the time versus 84% of the time for Mexican cucumbers). The U.S.A. growers also appeared to be adopting reduced risk materials at a greater rate than their offshore competition. (Pesticide Data Program Annual Summary Calendar Year 2003).
Ed. note: So many people are concerned with food safety, and these reports are by far the best measure of the dietary pesticide exposure that occurs. As we can see, the existing regulations (and labeling) are in a high degree of compliance with the tolerance setting process.
