widespread illegal use of several insecticides on spinach grown in both the United
States and Mexico.
It is commonly thought that foods imported from Mexico and South America are
more contaminated than food grown in the United States. However, eleven of the
twelve most contaminated foods in the study were U.S. grown. The worst offenders
included Chilean grapes, Canadian and Mexican carrots, Mexican broccoli and toma-
toes, Argentine and Hungarian apple juice, and Brazilian orange juice. Samples of
fresh peaches, fresh and frozen winter squash, fresh green beans, apples, and pears
grown in the United States were more contaminated than imports.Least Contaminated: Consistently CleanThe study found that the vegetables least likely to have pesticides on them are
sweet corn, avocado, cauliflower, asparagus, onions, peas, and broccoli.
Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of the pea and broccoli samples had no detecta-
ble pesticides. There were no detectable residues on 90 percent or more of the sam-
ples of the other vegetables on the least-contaminated list.
The study revealed that multiple pesticide residues were extremely rare on the
least-contaminated vegetables. Broccoli had the highest likelihood of contamination,
with a 2.6 percent chance of containing more than one pesticide. Avocados and corn
both had the lowest chances, with no samples containing more than one pesticide.
The greatest number of pesticides detected on a single sample of any of these
low-pesticide vegetables were three compared to ten found on spinach, the most-
contaminated crop with the most residues.
Broccoli and onions both had the most pesticides found on a single vegetable crop
at up to seventeen. But they had far fewer than the most-contaminated vegetable,
sweet bell peppers, on which thiry-nine were found.
The five fruits least likely to have pesticide residues on them are pineapples, man-
goes, bananas, kiwi, and papaya. Fewer than 10 percent of pineapple and mango
samples had detectable pesticides on them and less than 1 percent of samples had
more than one pesticide residue. Though 53 percent of bananas had detectable pesti-
cides, multiple residues were rare, with only 4.7 percent of samples containing more
than one residue. Kiwi and papaya had residues on 23.6 percent and 21.7 percent of
samples, respectively, and multiple pesticide residues of just 10.4 percent and 5.6 per-
cent of samples, respectively.^24
There are some pesticide residues detected in food for which no tolerances have
been set. This could be due to the following reasons: 1) the pesticide may be recog-
nized by the EPA as safe and not requiring tolerances, 2) the pesticide may not be
registered for agricultural use in the United States, or, more often, 3) the pesticide
residue is on a crop different from the one for which it has been approved. For some
residues of this type, the FDA may enforce international action levels. Alternatively,
the pesticide residues may be illegal in food in the United States, so the food can be
seized and destroyed.^2584 | Pesticides