- On May 28, 2026, the FDA Human Foods Program released an updated compliance program manual for its pesticide residue monitoring program. This marks the program’s first update since 2011.
- These updates will introduce two new monitoring priorities: raw agricultural commodities (RACs) that comprise a large part of U.S. diets, and foods highly consumed by infants and children. The manual notes that sampling should primarily focus on raw foods as opposed to categories like teas, spices, and heavily processed foods.
- The manual also provides guidance on appropriate laboratories and methods to conduct pesticide residue monitoring. FDA reports that it monitors roughly 3500 samples of domestic and imported foods for over 700 pesticides through this program alone. Additionally, FDA uses Total Diet Study (TDS) to monitor nutrients and contaminants (including pesticides) in U.S. diets.
- The program is administered by FDA, but it interacts with other programs and agencies. For example, EPA has the authority to set tolerances for specific foods and pesticides, and USDA PDP provides a food pesticide residue database.
- FDA will enforce the program under the Compliance Policy Guideline, but the manual also references a pending draft revision for enforcement guidance.
- Keller & Heckman will continue to monitor and report on FDA Human Foods Program developments.
