Pesticide Residue Monitoring Program Results and Discussion FY 2005

FDA Pesticide Program Residue Monitoring 2004-2006 June 1, 2008

 Results and Discussion - FY 2005

Regulatory Monitoring

Under regulatory monitoring, 7,924 samples were analyzed. Of these, 2,638 were of domestic foods and 5,286 were imported foods.

Figure 1 shows the percentage of the 2,638 domestic samples by commodity group with "No Residues Found," "Residues Found; NoViolation," and "Violative" (a violative residue is defined in this report as a residue which exceeds an EPA tolerance or formal FDA Action Level, or a residue at a level of regulatory significance for which no tolerance has been established in the sampled food.)

As in earlier years, fruits and vegetables accounted for the largest proportion of the domestic commodities analyzed in 2005; these two commodity groups comprised 81.0 % of the total number of domestic samples. In FY 2005, 98.6% of all domestic foods analyzed by FDA were in compliance with EPA's established residue tolerances and FDA formal action levels. The compliance rate for domestic foods for fiscal years 1996 to 2004 was between 97.6% to 99.3%.

Appendix A contains more detailed data on domestic monitoring findings by commodity, including the total number of samples analyzed, the percent samples with no residues detected, and the percent violative samples including the nature of the violation (over-tolerance vs. no tolerance). Of the 2,638 domestic samples, 61.5 % had no detectable residues and 1.4 % had violative residues. In the largest commodity groups, fruits and vegetables, 45.1 % and 64.4 % of the samples, respectively, had no residues detected; 1.6% of the fruit samples and 1.4 % of the vegetable samples contained violative residues (Figure 1). In the grains and grain products group, 76.4 % of the samples had no residues detected, and 1.0 % had violative residues. In the fish/shellfish/other aquatic products group, 83.2 % had no detectable residues, and no violative residues were found. In the milk/dairy products/eggs group, 91.8 % of the samples had no residues detected, and no violative residues were found. In the "Other" foods group that covers nuts, seeds, honey, spices, and animal feeds among other foods, 90.0 % of the samples had no detectable residues and 3.6% had violative residues.

Findings by commodity group for the 5,286 import samples are shown in Figure 2. Fruits and vegetables accounted for 87.8 % of import samples. Overall for all imported foods, 93.8 % of the samples analyzed in FY 2005 were in compliance with EPA tolerances and FDA formal action levels. This compares with a compliance rate for imported foods for FYs 1996 to 2004 of 94.0 % to 98.4 %.

Appendix B contains detailed data on import samples. Of the 5,286 import samples analyzed, 60.8 % had no residues detected, while 6.2 % had violative residues. Imported fruits had 64.6 % of samples with no residues detected and 4.5 % samples with violative residues. Imported vegetables had 54.5% of samples with no residues detected and 6.9 % samples with violative residues. No residues were found in 93.3 % of the imported milk/dairy products/eggs group and no violative residues were reported. No residues were found in 88.3 % of the imported fish/shellfish group and 1 violation (0.5 %) was found in this food group. In the imported grains and grain products group, 87.5 % had no detectable residues, and 2.3 % of the samples had violative residues. In the "Other" foods group, 80.6 % of the samples analyzed had no residues detected, while 11.9 % of the samples contained violative residues.

Pesticide monitoring data collected under FDA's regulatory monitoring approach in 2005 are available to the public as a computer database. This database summarizes FDA 2005 regulatory monitoring coverage and findings by country/commodity/pesticide combination. The database also includes monitoring data by individual sample from which the summary information was compiled. Information on how to obtain this database as well as those for 1992-2004 is provided in the "Acknowledgements" section of this report.

Geographic Coverage

Domestic. A total of 2,638 domestic samples were collected in FY 2005 from 44 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia.  The largest numbers of samples were collected from those states that are the largest producers of fruits and vegetables. Table 1 lists numbers of domestic samples from each location, in descending order.

Note – for Table 1, domestic samples with no state recorded in the "Sample 2005" file were attributed through other documentation.

Domestic/Import Violation Rate Comparison for FY 2005

In FY 2005, 2,638 domestic and 5,286 import samples were collected and analyzed. Pesticide residues were detected in 38.5 % of the domestic samples and in 39.2 % of the import samples. The violation rate was 1.4 % for domestic samples and 6.2 % for import samples. Among grains and grain products, the violation rate was 1.0 % for domestic samples and 2.3 % for imports. No violations were found in the milk/dairy products/eggs group for either domestic or import samples. No violations were found for the domestic fish/shellfish/other aquatic products group, and 0.5 % violations were found for the import samples of this group. Of domestic fruit samples, 1.6% contained violative residues while 4.5 % of imports did. For vegetables, 1.4% of domestic samples and 6.9 % of import samples contained violative residues. In the category "Other" (mostly nuts, edible seeds, honey, spices, and dietary supplements), the violation rates for domestic and import samples were 1.4 % and 11.9 %, respectively. Ginseng and spices accounted for most of the samples with violative residues for the import "Other" foods group.

Of the domestic violative samples, five of the 37 violations (13.5 %) were for residues found to be over an established EPA tolerance or FDA formal action level. The balance, 32 or 86.5%, were for residues found in foods with no established EPA tolerance. Of the import samples with violative residues, 17 of 330 violations (5.2%), were for residues found to be over an established EPA tolerance of FDA formal action level. The balance of import violations, 313 or 94.8%, were for residues found in foods with no established EPA tolerance.

Pesticide Coverage

Table 3 lists the 296 pesticides that were detectable by the methods used in FY 2005; each of the 164 pesticides that were actually found is indicated by an asterisk (*).  Residues not previously looked for are noted by a "+".

Animal Feeds

In FY 2005, 331 feed samples (250 domestic surveillance and 81 import) were analyzed for pesticides by the FDA (Table 4).  Of the 250 domestic surveillance samples, 182 (72.8 %) contained no detectable pesticide residues, 66 (26.4 %) contained residues at levels not exceeding regulatory guidance, and 2 (0.8 %) contained residues which exceeded regulatory guidance.  Of the 81 import samples, 62 (76.5 %) contained no detectable pesticide residues, 16 (19.8 %) contained residues at levels not exceeding regulatory guidance, and 3 (3.7 %) contained a residue which exceeded regulatory guidance. 

Two domestic surveillance samples of animal feed contained 2 residues that exceeded regulatory guidance during FY 2005.  One was a corn sample from Missouri that contained 0.189 ppm of methoxychlor.  All the tolerances for methoxychlor in 40 CFR 180.120 have been revoked by the EPA.  The other was a sample of timothy grass hay from Ohio that contained 1.03 ppm of o-phenylphenol.  There are no tolerances established by the EPA for o-phenylphenol on any grasses in 40 CFR 180.129. 

Three import samples of animal feed contained 3 residues that exceeded regulatory guidance during FY 2005. One was a color additive derived from marigolds and imported from Mexico that contained 3.5 % (35,000 ppm) ethoxyquin. This level exceeded the 0.3 % maximum ethoxyquin level established by the FDA in Tagetes (Aztec marigold) meal and extract in 21 CFR 73.295(a). The second was a sample of grain screening pellets imported from Canada that contained 0.119 ppm of tris (1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate. This compound is a fire retardant and there are no established tolerances, action levels, or guidance levels for it in animal feed. The third was a sample of psyllium husk powder imported from India that contained 0.016 ppm of isoproturon. Although isoproturon is a phenylurea herbicide that is approved for use in other countries, the EPA has not established any tolerances for this compound in the U.S.

In the 68 domestic surveillance and 19 import samples of animal feed in which one or more pesticides were detected, there were 116 residues (83 quantifiable and 33 trace).  Malathion and ethoxyquin were the most frequently found and accounted for 58.6 % of all residues detected (Table 5).

Focused Sampling

As previously described, FDA conducts "focused sampling" by means of short-term, regulatory based, field assignments.  In FY 2005, there were no multi-district pesticide related field assignments.

 FDA Total Diet Study

Of the over 300 chemicals that can be determined for the analytical methods used, residues of 94 individual compounds were found in the foods analyzed in the four market baskets reported here for FY 2005 (Market Baskets 04-4, 05-1, 05-2, and 05-3). The 94 individual compounds detected consisted of 73 parent pesticides of which 31 had one or more related compounds (e.g., isomers, metabolites) detected as well.

Table 6 lists the 27 most frequently found residues in the TDS foods other than baby foods (those found in 2% or more of the samples), the total number of findings, and the percent occurrence in the four market baskets analyzed in FY 2005 (916 total samples). The five most frequently observed chemicals were: DDT, malathion, endosulfan, chlorpyrifos-methyl, and dieldrin, and are the same as those observed for the past several years. The levels of these and other residues listed in Table 6 were typically below regulatory limits.

The TDS program also collects and analyzes infant and toddler foods. Table 7 provides the frequency of occurrence in FY 2005 of the 25 pesticide residues (found in 2% or more of these samples in the four collections of these foods which totaled 228 samples), and the ranges of levels found.

Summary

 Regulatory Monitoring - FY 2005

A total of 7,924 samples of domestically produced food and imported food from 90 countries were analyzed for pesticide residues in FY 2005. No residues were found in 61.5 % of domestic and in 60.8 % of import samples (Figure 3) analyzed under FDA's regulatory monitoring approach in FY 2005. Only 1.4 % of domestic and 6.2 % of import samples had residue levels that were violative. The findings for FY 2005 demonstrate that pesticide residue levels in foods are generally well below EPA tolerances, corroborating results presented in earlier reports (6).

FDA also collected and analyzed 250 domestic and 81 import animal feed samples for pesticides.  No residues were found in 72.8 % of the domestic feed samples and in 76.5  % of the import feed samples.

Total Diet Study

In FY 2005, the types of pesticide residues found and their frequency of occurrence in the TDS were generally consistent with those given in previous FDA reports. The pesticide residue levels found were well below regulatory standards. Results of baby foods tested in FY 2005 (and earlier years) also provide evidence of only small amounts of pesticide residues in these foods.

FDA Pesticide Program Residue Monitoring 2004-2006 June 1, 2008