WASHINGTON (FNS) -- Farmers apparently are cutting back on their use of pesticides on fruits and vegetables as residues of these chemicals in produce, dairy and grains continue to decline, according to a new federal study.
These findings have been issued as part of an annual study done jointly by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency. All residue sampling was done between December 1996 and December 1997.
Fifteen commodity groups were sampled in 10 states, representing about 50% of the nation's population.
The six fresh-produce commodities for which pesticide residue data were analyzed were pears, potatoes, spinach, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and winter squash. Sampling and analysis also was done for six processed produce items: apple juice, canned/frozen green beans, orange juice, canned peaches, canned spinach and frozen winter squash.
Of the 6,321 fruit and vegetable samples collected and analyzed, 57% contained at least one pesticide residue. This was down from 71.8% that contained at least one such residue during the 1996 survey. Virtually none of these "identifications" indicated a violation of federal pesticide-residue law.
The agencies reported that among fresh produce sampled, 70% had residues of at least one pesticide, down from 83% in the 1996 survey. Of the processed products analyzed for 1997, 45% contained at least one pesticide residue, up from 39% in the year-earlier survey.
