- On December 22, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published its annual Pesticide Residue Monitoring Program Report for Fiscal Year 2023, providing a comprehensive overview of pesticide residue levels in human and animal foods.
- The report covers testing conducted between October 1, 2022, and September 30, 2023, analyzing samples for 781 different pesticides and selected industrial compounds. FDA also introduced the Pesticide Report Data Dashboard, an interactive tool that allows users to explore tables, figures, and underlying data from the report.
- Companies that grow, produce, or manufacture food products for sale in the United States must comply with pesticide tolerances (maximum residue levels) set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). FDA monitors compliance by testing FDA-regulated foods in interstate commerce. When residues exceed EPA tolerances or appear on foods without an established tolerance, FDA may take regulatory action to protect public health.
- Key Findings for FY 2023 include:
- No pesticide residues were detected in 39% of domestic samples and 39.2% of imported samples.
- 97.2% of domestic samples and 86.5% of imported samples complied with federal regulations.
- Animal Food Samples:
- 97% of domestic samples and 97.6% of imported samples were compliant.
- No residues were detected in 50.5% of domestic samples and 56.1% of imported samples.
- Overall, the results confirm that US produced foods continue to have a very high compliance rate and imported foods continue to present a higher violation rate than domestic foods. This annual survey is a useful tool and datapoint for industry and may be used in supply chain and Food Safety Plan assessment. Keller and Heckman will continue to monitor developments related to pesticide residue regulations.