USDA testing in 2023 found that 99% of food products did not exceed pesticide residue limits.

       PDP conducts annual sampling and testing to gain insight into pesticide residues in U.S. food supplies. PDP tests a variety of domestic and imported foods, with a particular focus on foods commonly eaten by infants and children.
       The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency takes into account exposure levels and the health effects of pesticides in the diet and sets maximum residue limits (MRLs) for pesticides in foods.
       A total of 9,832 samples were tested in 2023, including almonds, apples, avocados, various baby food fruits and vegetables, blackberries (fresh and frozen), celery, grapes, mushrooms, onions, plums, potatoes, sweet corn (fresh and frozen), Mexican tart berries, tomatoes, and watermelon.
       More than 99% of samples had pesticide residue levels below EPA’s baseline, with 38.8% of samples having no detectable pesticide residues, an increase from 2022, when 27.6% of samples had no detectable residues.
       A total of 240 samples contained 268 pesticides that violated EPA MRLs or contained unacceptable residues. Samples containing pesticides above established tolerances included 12 fresh blackberries, 1 frozen blackberry, 1 baby peach, 3 celery, 9 grapes, 18 tart berries, and 4 tomatoes.
       Residues with undetermined tolerance levels were detected in 197 fresh and processed fruit and vegetable samples and one almond sample. Commodities that did not have pesticide samples with undetermined tolerances included avocados, baby applesauce, baby peas, baby pears, fresh sweet corn, frozen sweet corn, and grapes.
       PDP also monitors the food supply for persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including pesticides that are banned in the United States but remain in the environment and can be absorbed by plants. For example, toxic DDT, DDD, and DDE were found in 2.7 percent of potatoes, 0.9 percent of celery, and 0.4 percent of carrot baby food.
       While USDA PDP results show that pesticide residue levels are consistent with EPA tolerance limits year after year, some disagree that U.S. agricultural products are completely immune to pesticide risks. In April 2024, Consumer Reports published an analysis of seven years of PDP data, arguing that EPA tolerance limits were set too high. Consumer Reports re-evaluated the PDP data using a benchmark below the EPA MRL and sounded the alarm on some products. A summary of Consumer Reports’ analysis can be read here.