WASHINGTON (FNS) -- An annual federal survey of pesticide residue on fruit and vegetables concluded that of 6,873 samples analyzed in 1995, 263 contained traces of pesticide above government-regulated levels.
help the Environmental Protection Agency determine residue levels in foods and estimate exposure to consumers.
Of the fruits and vegetables analyzed, about 65% contained at least one pesticide residue. The agency said that post-harvest pesticide applications were largely the cause of the residues.
The 12 samples collected were apples, bananas, carrots, grapes, green beans, oranges, peaches, potatoes, spinach, sweet corn, sweat peas and wheat.
