FDA Report - Pesticide Residue Monitoring Program FY 2015

FDA issued their 2015 Pesticide Monitoring Program Report.   Overall, the findings showed low levels of violations, and basically these numbers were similar to the previous year.   It must be remembered that this is targeted sampling...that is, FDA will focus their effort on looking on those items/locations where there is more likely to be an issue.

In comparison of domestic versus imported foods, imported products were more likely to have violative pesticide levels.

Ben and Jerry's Changing Sourcing to Eliminate Glyphosate from Ingredients

Ben and Jerry's  announced that they are making changes to their sourcing to eliminate the chemical glyphosate from ingredients they purchase...by 2020.  Glyphosate, a main ingredient in the herbicide Roundup, was found to be present in their product (as well as other food products) at very low levels - far below what EPA would cause adverse effects (EPA has a limit of 2 mg/kg/day vs 1.75 ppb found) and EPA says that the chemical is not likely to be carcinogenic.  In 40CFR180, lists the tolerances for pesticide residues in food including glyphosate (180.364 - table below).   EPA's established tolerance for glyphosate in drinking water is 700 parts per billion (ppb).

So 1.75 ppb is pretty darn low, and based upon this EPA limit, a news article (below) determined that a kid would have to eat over 100,000 servings per day to get to this level.  And glypshate is common in the environment and as well other foods.  A study found that many cereal grain products had levels ranging from 25 to 1000 ppb - again, all well below EPA limits.  It is even in wine (in a 2016 report, the highest level found was 18.74 ppb).

But people get excited, especially once you link a herbicide to thier food.  I think the controversy is good.  It forces the science to prove its safety and for the agricultural industry to manage its use.  Where we fail is communicating to consumers the minimal risk associated with the amount that was found.

NECN

http://www.necn.com/news/new-england/Ben--Jerrys-to-Change-Ingredients-After-Weed-Killer-Discovery-450487113.html

Ben & Jerry’s to Change Ingredients After Weed Killer Discovery

By Jack Thurston

Europe - Eggs Contaminated with Pesticide Removed from Shelves

In Europe, eggs (and products made from eggs) from farms in the Netherlands and Belgium are being pulled from store shelves after it was found that those farms used a banned pesticide, Fiponil, a substance used to kill lice and ticks in chickens.  Product was shipped to  countries that have received the eggs are the UK, Sweden, Austria, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Denmark and Switzerland.

Brittan’s Food Standards Agency says it is "very unlikely" there is any health risk.  However it is caused quite a stir throughout the EU.

BBC News
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40896899
Eggs containing fipronil found in 15 EU countries and Hong Kong
8/11/17

Annual USDA Pesticide Analysis Report for Produce

Each year USDA releases their Pesticide Data Program report where they release findings of their sampling/testing program for pesticides in produce.  The overwhelming majority of samples were within EPA tolerances.  A very small percentage, 0.53%, had levels above that. 

• In 2015, over 99 percent of the samples tested had residues well below the tolerances established by the EPA with 15 percent having no detectable pesticide residue.
• Residues exceeding the established tolerance were detected in 0.53 percent (54 samples) of the total samples tested (10,187 samples). Of these 54 samples, 18 were imported (33 percent) and 36 were domestic (67 percent).
• The samples containing pesticides that exceeded established tolerances included: 1 sample of fresh cherries, 4 samples of cucumbers, 3 grape samples, 3 samples of green beans, 1 peach sample, 1 pear sample, 8 samples of spinach, 25 samples of strawberries, 2 tomato samples, and 6 samples of watermelon. (Appendix I of the report has the levels).

One of the interesting lines from the study - "Prior to testing, PDP analysts washed samples for 15-20 seconds with gently running cold water as a consumer would do; no chemicals, soap, or any special wash was used."  There has been a lot of discussion around the washing of produce before consumption when that produce item is considered a raw agricultural commodity.  But does the consumer know that as a fact that they should always wash produce before consuming, not only for residual chemicals, but also for microbiological contamination.

 

 USDA - Pesticide Data Program

https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/2015PDPAnnualSummary.pdf

Executive Summary

Study - Pesticide Levels on Produce Well Below Level for Health Concern

In a recently published study in the Journal of Food Contamination, a UCDavis researcher found that pesticide levels in foods are far below the level of concern for the period 2004 - 2005.  2240 food items were evaluated and that "All estimated exposures to the 77 pesticides were well below the chronic reference dose (RfD) – the EPA’s estimate of the maximum amount of a substance that a person could be exposed to daily without risk of harm over a lifetime".

Takeaways - You can't use pesticides as a reason to avoid eating fruits and vegetables.  The health benefit far outweighs any risk. 
- The primary reason people buy organic produce is pesticides.  Based on this data, is the added cost of organic justified?


THE AMERICAN COUNCIL ON SCIENCE AND HEALTH
http://acsh.org/2015/07/consumer-exposure-to-pesticide-residue-far-below-levels-of-health-concern/
Consumer exposure to pesticide residue far below levels of health concern
Posted on July 16, 2015 by admin

A new study published in International Journal of Food Contamination shows that pesticide levels in food are far below levels that would warrant health concern.

The author of the study, Dr. Carl K. Winter of the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of California – Davis, used FDA data on pesticide residue findings collected between 2004 and 2005 on 2,240 food items. A total of 77 pesticides were detected in the samples. (Dr. Winter is a member of ACSH’s Scientific Advisory Panel).

All estimated exposures to the 77 pesticides were well below the chronic reference dose (RfD) – the EPA’s estimate of the maximum amount of a substance that a person could be exposed to daily without risk of harm over a lifetime. As Ross Pomeroy at Real Clear Science notes, “These doses are extremely conservative, often inflated by two orders of magnitude to ensure consumer safety.”

Is Produce Safe from Pesticides? USDA Releases Pesticide Residue Testing Data

The USDA released its annual pesticide residue testing data http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=stelprdc5106521 for 2012.  In the report, over 99% of the products sampled had results that were within EPA tolerances.

Of course, 99.47% is not 100%, and there were a few samples that were above the established tolerance.    From a blog by Steve Savage who took the time to analyze the few high results.

The only crops with any significant number of above-tolerance detections were snap peas (32 from among 743 samples) and cherry tomatoes (24 from among 744 samples). However, even these unusual incidences were not enough above tolerance to be of major concern. For the snap peas, 97% of the samples with those higher detections were imported either from Guatemala, Peru or Mexico. For the cherry tomatoes, 83% of the above-tolerance samples came from Mexico. If the "group project" was divided into a US farmers team and a importers team, their respective "scores" would be 99.88% and 98.76% - different, but both still A+ grades.

 It is important to note that the tolerance levels that are set have a 100X or so safety factor.

So traditional produce purchased from your supermarket is safe (extremely low risk).  Of course, there are those who will continue to pay more for 'organic'.  Is it worth the added price?  This data suggests it is not. 

One issue I have is that USDA should provide a discussion of 'out of tolerance' samples in their report rather than just glossing it over.  They did issue "What Consumer Should Know".
 

 

What Consumers Should Know

2012 Pesticide Data Program Annual Summary

http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5091057

 

 

• This PDP data shows that overall pesticide residues found on foods tested are at levels below the tolerances established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and pose no safety concern.
• Each year, USDA and EPA work together to identify foods to be tested on a rotating basis. In 2012, surveys were conducted on a variety of foods including fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, wheat, butter, baby food, and water.
• PDP data reflect actual residues present in food grown in various regions of the U.S. and overseas.
• EPA makes a safety evaluation for pesticides considering all possible routes of exposure through food, water, and home environments when setting the maximum residue (tolerance) level of pesticide that can remain in or on foods.
• Before a pesticide is available for use in the U.S., the EPA must determine that it will not pose unreasonable risks to human health or the environment.

EWG's Dirty Dozen of Fruit and Vegetables Overstates Real Risk

Each year the Environmental Working Group, a consumer activist organization, releases a list it calls the ‘Dirty Dozen’ - the fruits and vegetables found to that were found to have residual pesticides based upon USDA and FDA analysis. Then the news outlets churn this report out, making consumers worry about the apples and strawberries in their refrigerator.

However, this report does not communicate the real risk. First, the levels found are well below anything that would pose an appreciable risk. Further, this ranking does not have any scientific basis. In a research article published in Journal of Toxicology (abstract below) by Winter and Katz (2011), they state:

In summary, findings conclusively demonstrate that consumer exposures to the ten most frequently detected pesticides on EWG’s “Dirty Dozen” commodity list are at negligible levels and that the EWG methodology is insufficient to allow any meaningful rankings among commodities. We concur with EWG President Kenneth Cook who maintains that “We recommend that people eat healthy by eating more fruits and vegetables, whether conventional or organic” [1], but our findings do not indicate that substituting organic forms of the “Dirty Dozen” commodities for conventional forms will lead to any measurable consumer health benefit.

It is important that consumers include fruits and vegetables as part of their diet. They should not be deterred by headlines that would make them think otherwise.


Dirty Dozen: EWG Reveals List Of Pesticide-Heavy Fruits And Veggies
Huffington Post 06/19/2012 8:05 am Updated: 06/19/2012 8:17 amhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/19/dirty-dozen-foods-list-2012-ewg_n_1606256.html

What could be purer than a single ingredient?

As health-minded consumers work to avoid processed meals and turn their focus to whole foods, we may find ourselves picking up fruits and veggies more often. The average American currently eats about 100 pounds of fresh produce per year, but that number could be a lot higher. While the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends adults eat two to three daily servings of fruits and veggies, only one-third of us meet that recommendation. 

Clearly, nothing should deter efforts to consume more fresh produce, the healthfulness of which is undeniable. But, as the latest iteration of an annual report reveals, there are some other considerations that health-conscious consumers must face from the supermarket aisle.

For the eighth year in a row, the nonprofit advocacy organization Environmental Working Group has released their list of the twelve most pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables on the market as part of their 2012 Shoppers Guide. Overall, they found that 68 percent of the food samples tested had detectable pesticide residues -- even after they had been washed or peeled. Many of the fruits and vegetables listed this year will look familiar to those who follow the yearly report -- apples and bell peppers once again top the list.

Certain pesticides have been identified as potential carcinogens, endocrine disruptors and have been associated with learning and developmental delays in children.

"Organophosphate pesticides are of special concern since they are associated with neurodevelopmental effects in children,” said EWG toxicologist Johanna Congleton in a statement. “Infants in particular should avoid exposure to these pesticides since they are more susceptible to the effects of chemical insult than adults."

Indeed, new research into the pesticide loads of baby food purees made with green beans, sweet potatoes and pears showed high contamination rates in both green beans and pears. Sweet potatoes, by contrast, had virtually no trace of pesticides. 

To learn more about individual pesticides and health risks, check out the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's report on human exposure. 

To compile the rankings, EWG researchers looked at 45 popular fruits and vegetables based on pesticide-load reports conducted by the USDA and the Food and Drug Administration. The database includes 60,700 samples taken over a 10 year period, beginning in 2000. It's important to note that all of the testing is conducted on fruits and vegetables that have been washed and/or peeled -- the typical precautions taken by American consumers.

The researchers factor in how many of the samples test positively for detectable pesticides, how many have more than two discrete pesticides, the concentration (measured by parts per million) of the pesticides found and the highest number of pesticides found in any single sample. The researchers also looked at the total pesticide load of the fruit or vegetable crop as a whole.

And while the list is comprehensive, the ranking doesn't capture all information: For example, though apples were ranked as the most contaminated overall, imported nectarines had the unique distinction of having a full 100 percent rate of positive pesticide test results, above any other product. Bell peppers and grapes were both commonly contaminated with 15 different pesticides in a single sample -- the highest overall diversity of contamination. 

Still, even the researchers who conducted the pesticide exposure studies don't recommend giving up the "Dirty Dozen" outright. 

"The health benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh [sic] the risks of pesticide exposure," they wrote, recommending instead that consumers purchase organic options wherever available and then choose items from the concurrent "Clean 15" list that details which fruits and veggies have the lowest pesticide loads and residues.


Lots of confusion when it comes to pesticides

BY PHIL LEMPERT June 19, 2012 9:55AM
(http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/food/13183396-423/lots-of-confusion-when-it-comes-to-pesticides.html)

Are you concerned about pesticides?

Sixty percent of consumers express a high concern about pesticide residues, much of which is based on misleading information, according to The Alliance for Food and Farming, a non-profit organization that represents organic and conventional farmers and farms of all sizes. Established in 1989, the Alliance’s goal is to deliver credible information to consumers about the safety of fruits and vegetables. Teresa Thorne, Alliance spokesperson, reported to us that recent surveys show that 29 percent of consumers are buying less fruits and vegetables due to concerns about pesticide residues.

The issue of pesticide residues can be very complex and terms often are used that are unfamiliar to many of us.

The Alliance’s website, safefruitsandveggies.com, is a chance for shoppers to explore science-based information about pesticide residues. The mere “presence” of a pesticide does not mean that the food is harmful, and to demonstrate this fact, the Alliance has provided a pesticide calculation tool, developed by Dr. Robert Krieger, toxicologist with the Personal Chemical Exposure Program at the University of California, Riverside, to see how many servings a man, woman, teen or child could consume and still not have any adverse effects from pesticide residues. Because of the complexity of the residue issue, the calculator was designed to be an easy way to show the very minute levels of pesticide residues that are found (when and if present at all).

USDA Program Report indicates that pesticides on food are not a risk in US Food Supply

In a report on USDA’s monitoring program for pesticide residues in food, USDA states that pesticides do not pose a safety concern in foods. Pesticide usage is actively controlled by EPA, FDA and USDA. 

USDA Releases 2010 Annual Summary for Pesticide Data ProgramReport confirms that U.S. food does not pose a safety concern based upon pesticide residues.
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5049944

WASHINGTON, May 25, 2012 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) has posted data from the 2010 Pesticide Data Program (PDP) Annual Summary. This information, along with an explanatory guide for consumers, can be found at www.ams.usda.gov/pdp. The 2010 PDP report confirms that food does not pose a safety concern based upon pesticide residues.

In May of 1991, USDA initiated the PDP to test commodities in the U.S. food supply for pesticide residues. Since passage of the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA), one of PDP’s focuses has been on testing foods that are most likely consumed by infants and children. AMS partners with cooperating state agencies to collect and analyze pesticide residue levels on selected foods. In implementing the FQPA, the EPA uses data from the PDP to enhance its programs for food safety and help evaluate dietary exposure to pesticides.

Each year, USDA and EPA work together to identify foods to be tested on a rotating basis. In 2010, surveys were conducted on a variety of foods including fresh and processed fruit and vegetables, oats, eggs, catfish, baby food, groundwater, and treated and untreated drinking water. Similar to previous years, the 2010 report shows that overall pesticide residues found on foods tested are at levels well below the tolerances set by the EPA. The report does show that residues exceeding the tolerance were detected in 0.25 percent of the samples tested. For baby food – included for the first time in this report – the data showed that no residues were found that exceeded the tolerance levels. Some residues were found with no established tolerance levels but the extremely low levels of those residues are not a food safety risk, and the presence of such residues does not pose a safety concern.

Statement from EPA:
“The data confirms EPA’s success in phasing- out pesticides used in children’s food for safer pesticides and pest control techniques. The very small amounts of pesticide residues found in the baby food samples were well below levels that are harmful to children.”

Statement from FDA:
“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration assesses whether pesticide chemical residues found on food may be unlawful under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and determines if followup is necessary under its own regulatory pesticide program. FDA is able to conduct its own tests, interpret the reported violations, and determine if additional testing is needed in order to take enforcement action, as appropriate. Based on the PDP data from this report, parents and caregivers can continue to feed infants their regular baby foods without being concerned about the possible presence of unlawful pesticide chemical residues.”

Statement from USDA:
“Age-old advice remains the same: eat more fruits and vegetables and wash them before you do so. Health and nutrition experts encourage the consumption of fruits and vegetables in every meal as part of a healthy diet. This message is affirmed in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans released last year, in USDA’s My Plate, as well as federal nutrition guidance that urges people to make half their plate fruits and vegetables.”

Since its inception, the program has tested 105 commodities including fresh and processed fruit and vegetables, meat and poultry, grains, catfish, rice, specialty products, and water. The data is a valuable tool for consumers, food producers and processors, chemical manufacturers, environmental interest groups, and food safety organizations. 

The findings of the Pesticide Data Program Annual Summary, Calendar Year 2010 can be downloaded at www.ams.usda.gov/pdp. Printed copies of it will be available later this year and can be obtained by writing to the Monitoring Programs Division, Science and Technology, Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA, 8609 Sudley Rd., Suite 206, Manassas, VA 20110; by faxing (703) 369-0678; by calling (703) 330-2300, Ext. 110; or by submitting an e-mail request to amsmpo.data@ams.usda.gov.