On February 8, 2018, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released the annual pesticides data of 2016. The program surveyed more than 10000 samples, including fruits and vegetables, but also egg and milk. The results indicated that 99.5% of all samples tested had pesticide residues well below the benchmark levels, meaning they were compliant with regulatory limits.
Figure 1. Number of pesticides per sample. Data source: USDA. Graphic: Carmen Diaz-Amigo (www.focos-food.com)
While this is a very positive development overall, it is somewhat disconcerting that the findings of multiple pesticide residues have increased and the number of samples containing no pesticides has dropped by more than half since 2015 (Figure 1). Looking at the year range from 2011, where almost 50% of all tested samples contained no detectable pesticides, it dropped dramatically in 2015 to 15% and has somewhat risen in 2016 to 22% (Figure 2). The USDA 2016 summary report, unfortunately, does not offer any explanation.
Figure 2. Samples with non-detectable pesticides. Data source: USDA. Graphic: Carmen Diaz-Amigo (www.focos-food.com)
