The presence of pesticide chemical residues in foods, such as spices, is regulated under section 408 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, as amended (FFDCA). The permissible level of pesticide chemical residue allowed in or on foods or feed is governed by either a pesticide tolerance or an exemption from tolerance. If a food contains a pesticide residue for which no tolerance or exemption from tolerance has been established, it is adulterated within the meaning of section 402 of the FFDCA and is subject to enforcement action. ASTA has published a list of U.S. pesticide tolerances that are established for spices and herbs by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under 40CFR180. This list is intended to facilitate compliance with U.S. tolerances.

This webinar provides an overview of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s testing, monitoring, and enforcement policies for pesticide residues in foods generally, and specifically how the FDA addresses chlorpyrifos residues in/on foods that recently had tolerances revoked by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In the United States, the EPA establishes pesticide tolerances on foods. However, it is the role of the FDA to enforce the EPA pesticide tolerances for domestic and imported foods, with the exception of meat, poultry, catfish, and certain egg products that are regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Hear from FDA's Charlotte Liang, Ph.D., Chemist, at the Office of Food Safety, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition U.S. Food and Drug Administration about the latest pesticide residue enforcement policies.