The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CA DPR) recently released its annual produce monitoring report, which found that about 97% of fruits and vegetables sold in California had no detectable pesticide residues or residues below federal health-protective limits.

The results are based on 3,544 produce samples collected in 2023 by DPR from over 500 locations statewide. The unwashed samples are tested for 500 types of pesticides and related compounds. Samples are considered illegal when detections exceed health-protective “tolerances” set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Detailed results for the Residue Monitoring Program include:

• 39% of samples had no detectable pesticide residues.
• 58% of samples had no pesticide residues above U.S. EPA tolerances.
• 3% of the samples collected had illegal residues.
• Of the 1,059 produce samples labeled as “grown in California,” fewer than 1% had detectable pesticide residues or pesticide residues above U.S. EPA tolerances.
• Of the 96 samples with illegal pesticide detections, 83% involved imported produce.
• Of 379 samples labeled as organic, 2% had illegal residues.