US FOOD-AND-DRUG-ADMINISTRATION PESTICIDE PROGRAM - INCIDENCE LEVEL MONITORING OF DOMESTIC AND IMPORTED PEARS AND TOMATOES

In 1992-1993, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted a statistically based study of pesticide residues in domestic and import ed pears and tomatoes, For pears, 710 domestic and 949 imported sample s were collected and analyzed; 79% of the domestic and 72% of the impo rted samples had detectable residues, Thiabendazole, a fungicide with postharvest uses, was found with greatest frequency in both groups of pears, Four domestic and 12 imported samples contained violative resid ues, mainly of pesticides for which there are no U.S. tolerances on pe ars. The statistically weighted (by shipment size) violation rates for domestic and imported pears were 1.0 and 0.9%, respectively, For toma toes, 1219 domestic and 144 imported samples were collected and analyz ed; 84% of the domestic and 91% of the imported samples had detectable residues, Methamidophos, an insecticide, had the greatest frequency o f occurrence in both groups of tomatoes, Thirty-three domestic and 5 i mported samples were violative, nearly all the result of acephate use, for which there is no U.S. tolerance on tomatoes, The statistically w eighted violation rates for domestic and imported tomatoes were 1.9 an d 7.0%, respectively, The statistically weighted violation rates calcu lated for domestic and imported pears and domestic tomatoes in this st udy were lower than those observed under FDA's regulatory monitoring i n recent years, The violation rate for imported tomatoes was somewhat higher under statistical monitoring than under regulatory monitoring, The results of the statistically based study show that, as in regulato ry monitoring, the levels of pesticide residues found are generally we ll below U.S. tolerances.