Children's Health Defense By
Pesticide residues were detected in 59% of U.S. food samples tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in its most recently completed annual testing program, the agency revealed in a new report.
Pesticide residues were detected in 59% of U.S. food samples tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in its most recently completed annual testing program, the agency revealed in a new report.
Roughly 77% of domestic fruits, 60% of U.S. vegetables and about 53% of U.S. grains sampled showed residues.
The agency said overall it analyzed 2,078 human food samples, finding that 51.6% of imported foods contained pesticide residues compared to 59.2% of domestic U.S. foods.
It is common for conventional farmers to use a range of pesticides, including herbicides, insecticides and fungicides on their fields, and sometimes apply the chemicals directly onto their crops, as a means to fight weeds, bugs and plant diseases. Residues of these chemicals are found not only in food but often in drinking water as well.
