The U.S. food supply is generally free of dangerous levels of pesticide residue, according to federal monitors who looked at fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, oats, rice, infant formula, and salmon in 2014. “Residues exceeding the tolerance [level] were detected in 0.36 percent of the samples tested,” said the USDA. The Pesticide Data Program, created in 1991, looks at a different set of foods each year and has reviewed 113 commodities to date. “The PDP plays an essential role in ensuring the safety of the U.S. food supply,” said director Susan Mayne of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety. The EPA sets tolerance levels for residues.
Fresh and processed fruit and vegetables accounted for 81 percent of the 10,619 samples collected during 2014 from 10 states. More than 41 percent of the samples had no detectable pesticide residue, said the report. “Prior to testing, PDP analysts washed samples for 15-20 seconds as a consumer would do; no chemicals, no soap or any special wash was used.”