We didn’t write this headline – This is from the Federal Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recent announcement of the results of their annual Pesticide Residue Monitoring Program.  According to the FDA: “The findings in this report demonstrate that levels of pesticide chemical residues measured by the FDA generally are below Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) tolerances, and therefore at levels that are not concerning for public health.”

This is information that consumers should hear about, but it is likely most won’t since good news rarely makes its way into the news cycle. But, this is unfortunate since consumers are bombarded with misinformation about produce safety on a regular basis, which is having a detrimental impact on improving diets.  In fact, 94% of registered dietitians agree that fear-based, inaccurate information about produce safety is negatively impacting their efforts to increase consumption of fruits and vegetables among their clients and consumers.

But, back to the good news from FDA. Of the food samples analyzed, 97% were well below EPA safety standards and 47% had no detectable residues at all. And, as the FDA headline says, these results, which show an impressive level of compliance among farmers with laws and regulations governing pesticide use, are annually consistent with other state and federal government sampling program findings.

The FDA employs a three-fold strategy to enforce EPA’s pesticide tolerances in foods. The program selectively monitors a broad range of domestic and import commodities for residues of over 800 different pesticides and selected industrial compounds. The FDA may also carry out focused sampling surveys for specific commodities or selected pesticides of special interest. In addition, the FDA monitors the levels of pesticide chemical residues in foods prepared for consumption in its Total Diet Study (TDS), an ongoing program that monitors contaminants and nutrients in the average U.S. diet.

Rather a comprehensive approach to ensure the safety of our foods, specific to residues.  And this is why the advice to consumers from the Alliance for Food and Farming is so very simple:  Choose either organic or conventional fruits and vegetables, but choose to eat more every day for better health and longer life.  A clear message supported by decades of science and the consistency of government sampling results year after year.

Photo Credit: Harvard Health