Pesticide chemical levels found on scores of foods tested during 2013 are at levels that do not pose a threat to human health, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said.
Samples were collected and analyzed in California, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin as part of the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service’s annual Pesticide Data Program.
The surveys were conducted on a variety of foods, including butter, salmon, infant formula and fresh and processed fruits and vegetables.
Over 99 percent of the products sampled had residues below the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) standards, according to Agri-Pulse. Residues exceeding the tolerance were detected in 0.23 percent of the samples tested.
“The Pesticide Data Program provides reliable data through rigorous sampling that helps assure consumers that the produce they feed their families is safe,” USDA said. “This report confirms again that pesticide residues are below levels deemed safe.”