The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently released the results of the Pesticide Residue Monitoring Program covering fiscal year 2020. The Agency analyzed 2,078 food samples of which 15 percent were domestic and the remainder imported products.  Domestic samples were collected in 35 states and imported food from 79 nations.  Of the total examined, 96.8 percent of domestic samples and 88.4 percent of imported foods complied with federal standards with regard to pesticide and industrial chemical contaminants.  No pesticide residues were detected in 41 percent of domestic foods and in 48 percent of imported samples.

The report did not specifically examine residues in USDA Certified Organic ingredients or foods, and it is hoped that this deficiency will be addressed in future residue monitoring programs.

The scope of the sampling program was impacted by COVID in 2020 resulting in fewer samples collected and assayed compared to the previous year.