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Overlap of US FDA residue tests and pesticides used on imported vegetables: Empirical findings and policy recommendations

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  • Galt, Ryan E.

Abstract

In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registers pesticides and sets crop-specific tolerances while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) enforces EPA regulations by testing plant-based foods for pesticide residues. Pesticide treatment histories are almost always unknown, especially on imported produce, posing an empirical question: to what extent do FDA's residue testing methods used on imported produce correspond to the pesticides used on the crops? In this article I show that FDA residue testing would have missed residues of the majority of pesticides used on two crops exported to the US from Costa Rica in 2003, suggesting that FDA residue testing on imported produce is inadequate in its coverage. Policy recommendations discussed include better communication of US tolerances to exporters around the world; increased testing for pesticides, especially fungicides, that are currently not part of FDA's regular testing procedures; and the creation of price floors and fair trade relationships in the transnational vegetable market to support farmers' attempts to comply.

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  • Galt, Ryan E., 2009. "Overlap of US FDA residue tests and pesticides used on imported vegetables: Empirical findings and policy recommendations," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(5), pages 468-476, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:34:y:2009:i:5:p:468-476
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    1. Susmita Dasgupta & Craig Meisner & Mainul Huq, 2007. "A Pinch or a Pint? Evidence of Pesticide Overuse in Bangladesh," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(1), pages 91-114, February.
    2. Putnam, Judy & Allshouse, Jane, 2001. "Imports' Share of U.S. Diet Rises in Late 1990s," Food Review/ National Food Review, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, vol. 24(3), pages 1-8.
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    4. Freidberg, Susanne, 2004. "French Beans and Food Scares: Culture and Commerce in an Anxious Age," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780195169614.
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    1. Schreinemachers, Pepijn & Tipraqsa, Prasnee, 2012. "Agricultural pesticides and land use intensification in high, middle and low income countries," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(6), pages 616-626.

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