United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service 2010 – 2011 Pilot Study Pesticide Residue Testing of Organic Produce USDA National Organic Program USDA Science and Technology Programs November 2012 2010 – 2011 Pilot Study Pesticide Residue Testing of Organic Produce Contents Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................................1 Figure ES1 – Overview of Results by Sample for All Commodities .........................................................................1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................2 Materials and Methods ..............................................................................................................................................2 Results ........................................................................................................................................................................4 Discussion ...................................................................................................................................................................5 Limitations ..................................................................................................................................................................7 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................................................8 References ..................................................................................................................................................................8 Tables and Figures ......................................................................................................................................................9 Figure 1 – Distribution of Organic Commodity Samples Collected per State.........................................................9 Figure 2 – Origin of Organic Commodities .......................................................................................................... 10 Table 1 – Production Volume in 2008 and Number of Samples by Organic Commodity ................................... 11 Table 2 – The Number of Samples by Organic Commodity and Source of Production ....................................... 11 Table 3 – The Number of Samples and Operations by Certifying Agent and Source of Production ................... 12 Table 4 – The Number of Samples by Certifying Agent and Organic Commodity ............................................... 13 Table 5 – The Number of Samples Analyzed and Summary of Results by Organic Commodity ......................... 14 Table 6 – The Number of Samples Analyzed and Results by Organic Commodity.............................................. 14 Appendix A .............................................................................................................................................................. 15 Listing of Pesticides by the Type of Pesticide ...................................................................................................... 15 Appendix B ............................................................................................................................................................... 20 Laboratory Procedures and Methods.................................................................................................................. 20 Table B1 – Optimized Sample Size ...................................................................................................................... 23 Appendix C ............................................................................................................................................................... 24 Distribution of Pesticide Residues in Organic Commodities ............................................................................... 24 Table C1 – Apples, Distribution of Results for Each Detected Pesticide ............................................................. 25 Table C2 – Bell Peppers, Distribution of Results for Each Detected Pesticide .................................................... 26 Table C3 – Broccoli, Distribution of Results for Each Detected Pesticide ........................................................... 28 Table C4 – Potatoes, Distribution of Results for Each Detected Pesticide .......................................................... 29 Table C5 – Strawberries, Distribution of Results for Each Detected Pesticide.................................................... 30 Table C6 – Tomatoes, Distribution of Results for Each Detected Pesticide ........................................................ 31 Executive Summary The Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 established national standards for the production and handling of organic agricultural products. The Act authorized the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to create the National Organic Program. This program is responsible for developing the USDA organic regulations and ensuring that organic farms and business comply with them. USDA accredits third-party certifying agents to certify organic farms and processing facilities, allowing them to sell, label, and represent their products as organic. The majority of pest control materials permitted in organic agriculture are naturally derived from a plant (e.g., pyrethrum), microorganism (e.g., Bacillus thuringiensis), or other natural sources. Organic standards prohibit the use of most synthetic substances—including most pesticides used in conventional agriculture—for at least 3 years prior to the harvest of an organic crop. Synthetic pest control materials allowed in organic crop production include elemental sulfur, insecticidal soap, horticultural oils, and copper hydroxide. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) establishes the maximum allowed levels of pesticides, or EPA tolerances, which may be present on foods. Although most EPA-registered pesticides are prohibited in organic production, there can be inadvertent or indirect contact from neighboring conventional farms or shared handling facilities. As long as the operator hasn’t directly applied prohibited pesticides and has documented efforts to minimize exposure to them, the USDA organic regulations allow residues of prohibited pesticides up to 5 percent of the EPA tolerance. In 2010, the National Organic Program worked with the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service’s Science and Technology Program to evaluate pesticide residues on USDA organic produce. The study involved 571 domestic and foreign fruit and vegetable samples bearing the USDA organic seal, which were obtained from retail establishments across the United States. Using sensitive equipment, an accredited Government laboratory tested each sample for approximately 200 pesticides typically used in conventional crop production. Of these 571 samples, 96 percent were compliant with USDA organic regulations (see Figure ES1). This means that the produce either had no detected residues (57 percent) or had residues less than 5 percent of the EPA tolerance (39 percent). Four percent of the tested samples contained residues above 5 percent of the EPA tolerance and were in violation of the USDA organic regulations. The findings suggest that some of the samples in violation were mislabeled conventional products, while others were organic products that hadn’t been adequately protected from prohibited pesticides. The National Organic Program is working with certifying agents to provide additional scrutiny in these areas. Overall, the pilot study demonstrated that it can serve as a model for future pesticide residue Figure ES1 – Overview of Results by testing projects of organic produce. It should be Sample for All Commodities noted that the pilot study did not measure pesticide levels in all types of USDA organic 21 NoNo Detected Detected products; it only analyzed 571 samples across 6 ResiduesResidues select commodities. Organic certifying agents are encouraged to use the methods described in this Allowed report when conducting required periodic residue Allowed, Low Level 326 Residues (< 5% testing of organic products. Since certifying agents 224 Residues EPA Tolerance) will be testing samples most likely to contain ( < 5% EPA Tolerance) prohibited substances (and not selecting products UnacceptableUnacceptable at random), it will not be possible to draw overall Residues Residues (> 5% conclusions from these results. ( > 5% EPA EPA Tolerance) Tolerance) 1 Introduction In December 2000, the USDA National Organic Program published national standards for the production and handling of USDA organic products. The regulations describe the allowed and prohibited methods, practices, and substances for organic crops, livestock, and processed products. These regulations also require that certifying agents test organic products when there is reason to believe they have been contaminated with prohibited substances, including synthetic pesticides. The EPA establishes the maximum allowed levels of pesticides, or EPA tolerances, which may be present on foods. Although many of these pesticides are prohibited in organic production, there can be inadvertent indirect contact from neighboring conventional farms or shared handling facilities. To recognize that inadvertent or unavoidable contact