Pesticide Residues in the United States Diet

Abstract

The United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) have joint responsibility in the area of pesticides. EPA registers or approves the use of pesticides and establishes tolerances if the use of a pesticide may lead to residues in food [1,2]. With the exception of meat and poultry, for which USDA is responsible, FDA is charged with enforcing these tolerances on imported food or domestic food shipped in interstate commerce.