| Year | Grains and grain products | Milk, dairy products, and eggs | Fish and shellfish | Fruits | Vegetables | Other | Total |
| percentage of samples without pesticide residues found | |||||||
| 1978 | 46 | 57 | 20 | 52 | 66 | 58 | 53 |
| 1979 | 46 | 53 | 19 | 42 | 65 | 53 | 51 |
| 1980 | 48 | 64 | 29 | 47 | 60 | 64 | 54 |
| 1981 | 57 | 68 | 23 | 44 | 63 | 66 | 56 |
| 1982 | 58 | 66 | 28 | 51 | 64 | 68 | 59 |
| 1983 | 58 | 68 | 39 | 48 | 59 | 69 | 57 |
| 1984 | 46 | 69 | 25 | 62 | 67 | 69 | 63 |
| 1985 | 48 | 78 | 35 | 64 | 66 | 78 | 65 |
| 1986 | 40 | 79 | 32 | 43 | 61 | 52 | 56 |
| 1987 | 43 | 76 | 27 | 50 | 63 | 63 | 58 |
| 1988 | 51 | 81 | 28 | 49 | 65 | 72 | 60 |
| 1989 | 56 | 87 | 35 | 56 | 68 | 80 | 65 |
| 1990 | 54 | 91 | 32 | 51 | 62 | 79 | 60 |
| 1991 | 58 | 78 | 58 | 49 | 68 | 81 | 64 |
| 1992 | 61 | 94 | 48 | 51 | 69 | 81 | 65 |
| 1993 | 66 | 94 | 53 | 70 | 39 | 83 | 64 |
| 1994 | 61 | 93 | 59 | 44 | 66 | 88 | 63 |
| 1995 | 33 | 100 | 80 | 48 | 48 | 80 | 54 |
| 1996 | 53 | 97 | 62 | 46 | 64 | 75 | 64 |
| 1997 | 60 | 97 | 68 | 44 | 69 | 83 | 66 |
| 1998 | 63 | 97 | 79 | 42 | 71 | 87 | 65 |
| 1999 | 61 | 97 | 71 | 39 | 70 | 76 | 60 |
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration, Pesticide Program Residues Monitoring 1999 (HHS, FDA, Washington, DC, 2000), and earlier annual reports.
Notes: Domestic food samples are collected as close as possible to the point of production. Fresh produce is analyzed as the unwashed whole, raw commodity. Although a percentage of samples contain pesticide residues, the percent of samples with over-tolerance residues (as set by EPA) is low. Between 1973 and 1986; 3 percent of samples were classed as violative; between 1987 and 1996 less than 1 percent were violative; in 1997, 1.2 percent were violative; and in 1998 and 1999, 0.8 percent were violative.
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