The fruits and vegetables you buy at the supermarket or farmers markets in California have little to no pesticide residue. Only about one percent exceeded state or federal standards.
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation released its report on pesticide residues in 2015.
The annual report tested more than 35-hundred samples for 350 different types of pesticides.
Forty percent had no residues, one percent had illegal residues, and the rest had acceptable levels.
Charlotte Fadipe with Pesticide Regulations says when illegal residues are found, the produce is taken off the market.
“Even though there were a few occasions when there were some illegal pesticide residue, it was not enough to cause harm to people.”
The report showed the most common items that tested positive were ginger from China and cactus and limes from Mexico.
“We tend to find the problem coming in from other countries, even then, it’s only a small amount but that tends to be the most problematic.”
The department tested about 150 different types of fruits and vegetables.
CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you. As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.