Food safety recalls often attract public attention, but annual monitoring reports provide broader insight into residue compliance across the food supply. The USDA has released its Pesticide Data Program Annual Summary for the 2024 calendar year, outlining residue results from nationwide testing of fruit, nuts, and vegetables.
According to the report, in 2024, "over 99 per cent of the samples tested had residues below safe and acceptable chemical residue tolerances established by the EPA, with 42.3 per cent having no detectable residue." The testing covered 9,872 samples of fresh and processed produce and analysed residues from herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and other crop protection products used in agricultural production.
Residues exceeding federal tolerance levels were found in 0.77 per cent of samples, representing 76 samples. Of these, 12 samples were of domestic origin, accounting for 15.8 per cent, while 63 samples, or 82.9 per cent, were imported. One sample was classified as having an unknown origin. Residues for which no tolerance has been established were detected in 3.7 per cent of samples, or 361 in total. Among these, 118 samples were domestic, 230 were imported, and 13 were of unknown origin.
More than 60 per cent of the samples analysed in the USDA program were domestically produced. Most remaining samples originated from imports, while fewer than 1 per cent were classified as having unknown or mixed origin.
Comparable results were reported in a 2023 study by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. In that dataset, approximately 3 per cent of food samples tested contained illegal residues. Most products fell within legal tolerance levels, and 39 per cent of samples showed no detectable pesticide or herbicide residues. As in the USDA findings, the majority of illegal residue detections in California were linked to imported produce.
These reports illustrate the role of monitoring and enforcement systems in residue compliance across domestic production and imports. California authorities have previously noted that some illegal residues detected on imported products were linked to crop protection products that are not authorised for use in the United States.
While residue monitoring results provide information on production and regulatory compliance, food handling practices beyond the farm gate remain part of the food safety chain. Proper washing of fruits and vegetables before consumption and appropriate handling and cooking of raw products continue to be standard recommendations for consumers.
For growers and producers, the data offers insight into how domestic production compares within a global supply context, with ongoing testing forming part of market access, compliance, and residue management considerations.
Source: FarmProgress
