USA: Food and Pesticides

Pesticides are widely used in producing food to control pests such as insects, rodents, weeds, bacteria, mold and fungus.

USDA measures residue levels for hundreds of pesticides and their metabolites in fruits, vegetables, grains, meat, and dairy products from across the country.

Results are published in annual pesticide residue reports, which include statistics on the number of pesticide residues detected, the number of residues exceeding the tolerance established by EPA, and the number of residues detected for which no tolerance has been established.

FDA also collects data on pesticide residues in cooked food that may be a source of chemicals in human diets.

How much of a pesticide remains on the food we eat?...

Source: Food and Pesticides
Author: EPA

Link: Glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine) is a broad-spectrum systemic herbicide used to kill weeds...
Link: More Pesticides than Ever
Link: Pesticides: Now More Than Ever
Link: Study links pesticides used by sheep farmers to long-term brain damage
Link: Superweeds, Superpests: The Legacy of Pesticides


Other EVANA-articles about this topic:
Invertebrates on the brink (en)

Pesticides and bee health: EFSA reviews the science (en)