The Department of Agriculture this week published the 2022 Pesticide Data Program Annual Summary. The summary shows that over 99 percent of the samples tested had pesticide residues below benchmark levels established by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The tests were conducted on 10,665 samples from 23 commodities, including fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, dairy, nuts, and grains. The summary is a national pesticide residue monitoring program that tests various domestic and imported foods, with a strong focus on foods consumed by infants and children. USDA and EPA work together each year to identify foods to be tested on a rotating basis, and USDA partners with cooperating state agencies to collect and analyze pesticide residue levels on the selected food commodities.
EPA relies on the data to conduct dietary risk assessments and to ensure that any pesticide residues in foods remain at or below levels that EPA has set.