Farmers Use Pesticides to Grow Food, But Really, It's OK
A practical look at a pertinent problem for What's Worth Reading (No. 11) for the week of November 11, 2024
Rather than the usual compilation of interesting snippets and insightful stories, I’m taking a closer look at the Pesticide Data Program Annual Summary. I swear to you, dear reader, this is more interesting than it sounds. Get the Who, What, When, How, Why (and why it matters) below!
Be sure to subscribe if you haven’t already, and if this deep dive isn’t your thing, you’ll get a fresh batch of links and recommended reading next week!
Cue the drumroll, we have a brand new batch of pesticide data from the USDA!
And the timing couldn’t be better, given the renewed focus on making America healthy again and whatnot. I hope you sense the heavy sarcasm because while many vocal proponents of the MAHA movement would love to see a return to the good ol’ days that never really were, we don’t actually want to eliminate pesticides and integrated pest management practices from agriculture. We don’t really want to get rid of the FDA either!
As unsettling as it might seem to know that pesticide residues can sometimes be detected in the food supply, the health risk for you is relatively low, for numerous reasons.
Let’s talk about it!
First, I’ll break down the key features in an easy-to-digest bulleted list. If you’re just here for the highlights, that’s all you need to read! But if you’re like me and want to chew on it a little more, keep scrolling for the extra savory stuff.
OK…here we go…
Report Title: Pesticide Data Program Annual Summary (Calendar Year 2023)
WHO: United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), who jointly oversee the Pesticide Data Program (PDP)
WHAT: A 231-page long report capturing data and summarizing the findings. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) relies on PDP to assess dietary exposure as they review the maximum residue limits (MRLs). That’s a bunch of alphabet soup that basically means, the program provides the data used to conduct a regular and frequent risk assessment so we know which pesticides (if any) and how much (if any) remain on food by the time it gets to you, me, and other consumers. This year, samples came from nine states representing ~50% of the United States population, as well as regions where many fruits and vegetables are grown.
Screenshot: Pesticide Data Program Annual Summary, page 3 WHEN: Published November 2024 (this month), with 2024 data coming in a similar report approximately one year from now. Samples and data have been collected for this purpose since 1991.
HOW: The AMS Monitoring Programs Division (MPD) prioritizes which commodity crops and pesticides should be monitored, with an emphasis on those most likely to be consumed by infants and children. This is important, because infants and children are smaller and more vulnerable than healthy adults. Samples of fruits and vegetables come from wholesale markets and distribution centers that supply grocery stores and other retailers. This is done to ensure residue measurements in the lab reflect any and all pesticides used, including those applied after harvest. Nearly 500 sites voluntarily participated. Enough samples are collected to be statistically representative for each commodity, with additional samples collected over a 12-month period in case any are missed, damaged, or unusable in the lab (not ideal, but it happens and they account for that). The samples go on to labs spread across seven states to be analyzed using equipment and methods capable of detecting very low levels of pesticide residues. (You can read more about the methods and sampling procedures in the report)
WHY: You probably know this if you’ve ever tried to grow anything you intend to eat, but pests love plants. Insects, weeds, fungi, mold, the list goes on and on. Farmers are tasked with growing enough food to feed everyone, and doing so safety and efficiently. Testing and risk assessments like this help us understand what’s really in or on our food so we can come up with a good risk management plan.
For more on risk assessments vs. risk management, check out this past post:
What did we learn?
Based on 2023 data, over 99% of samples had residues below the EPA’s tolerances, with nearly 40% having no detectable pesticide residues at all. Just under 1/4 of samples had one pesticide detected, and 37.5% had more than one pesticide detected. This was based on 9,832 samples (98+% of which were fruits and vegetables) and more than 2.8 million pesticide analyses.
Note: A “tolerance” is defined according to Section 408 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act as the maximum quantity of a pesticide allowable on a raw agricultural commodity.
This should not alarm you, because the mere presence of a pesticide does not mean you will consume an amount capable of harming you. In a lot of cases, that would be physically and financially impossible.
For example: I, a woman, could eat 13,225 servings of blueberries in one day without any effect even if the blueberries have the highest pesticide residue recorded for blueberries by USDA. This is according to the pesticide residue calculator at Safe Fruits & Veggies — play around with it if you’re curious about some other common types of produce.
To go further into the weeds with the report, here’s some data about the pesticide residues that were detected:
Only 48 samples (0.49% of total samples) had detectable levels above the tolerance threshold:
12 samples of fresh blackberries, 1 of which contained two pesticides that exceed the established tolerances
1 sample of frozen blackberries
3 samples of celery
9 samples of grapes
18 samples of tomatillos (37.5% of the 48 samples), 2 of which contained two pesticides that exceed the established tolerances
4 samples of tomatoes
1 sample of baby food peaches
Grapes and tomatoes were specifically chosen to compare data where residues of listed pesticides were present in more than 5% of the total samples collected. Some pesticides for grapes were detected more frequently in imported samples (from Chile, Mexico, or Peru, for example) vs. samples grown in the U.S. This is expected as different regions around the world face different pest pressures.
For tomatoes, it was about equal as far as residues detected in domestic vs. imported samples from Mexico.
IMPORTANT NOTE: All detected pesticides in this comparison were below the EPA-established tolerances. Outside of this specific comparison, the vast majority of domestic and imported samples were below as well. (refer to Appendix F in the report)
According to the report, “Four samples of baby food peaches (0.04% of total samples) contained residues of 18 pesticides each. No residues found in the baby food peach samples exceeded the established tolerance.” Appendix H has a complete breakdown and some helpful charts.
Screenshot: Pesticide Data Program Annual Summary., Appendix H 
Screenshot: Pesticide Data Program Annual Summary, Appendix H
What happens when they find high levels?
When PDP data finds a sample with high enough residues to exceed the EPA’s established tolerance, it’s reported to the FDA.
This can also happen if there is no established tolerance for a pesticide, which happens occasionally. In the 2023 data, this occurred in 2% of samples. This might be due to drift, planting in fields previously treated, transfer of pesticide residues at any point from harvest to sample collection, fungicides used after harvest, or other exposures during handling, storage, or transportation.
The FDA notification goes straight to headquarters. There’s an agreement (a Memorandum of Understanding or MOU if we’re getting legal with it) between the USDA and FDA to identify which areas need to be surveilled and monitored more closely.
This is a slow process; don’t expect a report to result in something like a recall, which happens as quickly as possible. A food-borne illness outbreak is extremely dangerous for individual and public health; pesticide residues are concerning, and we want to know why and where they’re happening, but the FDA usually follows up post-harvest.
What this means for you
If you weren’t worried about pesticides and generally trusted that what you’re buying is safe, this doesn’t change that.
If you were worried, or had concerns, I hope this settles some of those fears. It feels seriously icky to think there’s something wrong with the foods we hope are safe, nourishing, and good for us. But for the most part, fruits and vegetables are safe, nourishing, and good for us.
Most of us aren’t eating the recommended 5-9 servings per day anyways…the last thing any of us needs is more fear the discourages us from eating more servings, more often.
Conventional is fine, but go organic if you want to (just know you don’t have to, and organic certifications allow spraying and pest management, too).
Remember, even though there may be multiple pesticides approved for use on crops, it doesn’t automatically mean they’re all being used or being used at the same time. It’s dependent on many factors including growing region, environmental conditions, growing practices, and more. Pesticides aren’t cheap. Farmers don’t make a lot of money. They aren’t “dousing” or “drenching” fields or orchards with mists of cloudy chemicals. That’s just not a thing, even though imagery splashed across the news might make you think otherwise. They are tightly regulated and farmers are trained to apply only what is needed, when it’s needed.
This doesn’t mean there’s zero risk. Farmworkers, especially migrant laborers and people who may be undocumented but are absolutely critical to the food system, face a different set of risks and hazards than the average consumer. Harvesting fruits and vegetables or handling pesticides is a different type of exposure than eating them or cooking them.
Pesticide residues are but one issue in the food system. There’s ample opportunity to get into other issues another time, but for now, the facts remain: 2023 pesticide residue data gives no indication that the vast majority of fruits or vegetables are in any way, shape, or form hazardous to your health because of pesticide residues. Go forth and consume them however works best for your budget, lifestyle, and taste preferences.
This sampling, testing, and reporting is critical to maintaining a safe, high-quality food supply in America. I know it’s not popular to go to bat for the FDA. And trust me, I have my issues with the way they do things, too. But they are currently the ones in charge of the PDP, and this annual report establishes a long track record of voluntary testing, lab testing to detect very low levels, and timely reporting for the public. For these reasons, and more, we should not try to undermine these efforts through deregulation or defunding agencies just because it’s cool and trendy to sh*t on them on social media.
Did you enjoy this format? These reports are publicly available but rarely read. And most news outlets, especially consumer news outlets, aren’t going to cover them. You shouldn’t have to be an industry insider to find more information about what you’re eating, so I hope this was a helpful update.
Let me know what you think, or submit an article or study for a future breakdown!