2023 · United States · USDA Pesticide Data Program · Calendar year

Pesticide residues found on baby food - applesauce

49.5% of standard-grown samples had at least one detected residue. Standard-grown means samples not identified as organic (called conventional in the source data). Detection does not, by itself, mean the food was unsafe.

Compare with other foods →

Any residue49.5%Moderate organic-buying priority

570 samples, standard-grown

No quantified residue50.5%Moderate organic-buying priority

All reported results below quantification

Multiple residues17.7%Moderate organic-buying priority

Two or more residues detected

Median residue count0Lower organic-buying priority

Highest observed count: 5

Above published limit0%Moderate organic-buying priority

Compared with the recorded EPA tolerance

Organic: any residue12.1%Moderate organic-buying priority

140 samples, interpret cautiously

Annual context

How monitored results changed

Each row is a separate targeted survey. Samples can differ by retailer, origin and season, so this is context rather than a trend claim.

Year	Standard-grown samples	Any residue	Multiple residues	Organic samples	Organic any residue
2023 ↗Calendar year	570	49.5%	17.7%	140	12.1%
2013 ↗Calendar year	345	54.5%	29.9%	34	17.6%
2012 ↗Calendar year	360	54.2%	24.7%	36	5.6%

Residue detail

What was found on baby food - applesauce?

The most frequently detected residues across all 710 samples. This is the complete available table for this monitoring entry.

710samples checked

Detection does not establish harm. Health risk depends on both toxicity and the amount a person is exposed to.

What do these types mean?

FungicideControls fungal diseases such as moulds and mildews.
InsecticideControls insects that damage crops or stored food.
HerbicideControls weeds competing with a crop.
Growth regulatorChanges plant growth, development or ripening.
Other / mixedCovers multiple substances or a role that cannot be reliably assigned from the published name.

These labels describe agricultural function, not a toxicity ranking.

Residue	Type	Samples	Median	Higher result	Typical published limit
Cyprodinil	Fungicide	100 (14.1%)	0.002 mg/kg	0.002 mg/kg	1.7 mg/kg
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
Pyrimethanil	Fungicide	92 (13%)	0.125 mg/kg	2.1 mg/kg	15 mg/kg
Reviewed evidence What regulators assessed: The long-term reference value was based on liver and thyroid changes observed in animal studies at higher doses. Reference values Role Fungicide Long-term reference (ADI) 0–0.2 mg/kg body weight per day Single-day reference (ARfD) Not considered necessary by JMPR Reviewed from WHO/FAO JMPR, 2007 ↗
Acetamiprid	Insecticide	72 (10.1%)	0.019 mg/kg	0.039 mg/kg	1 mg/kg
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
Fludioxonil	Fungicide	68 (9.6%)	0.016 mg/kg	0.12 mg/kg	5 mg/kg
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
Diphenylamine (DPA)	Other / mixed	30 (4.2%)	0.012 mg/kg	0.031 mg/kg	10 mg/kg
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
Phosmet	Other / mixed	29 (4.1%)	0.002 mg/kg	0.002 mg/kg	10 mg/kg
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
Bifenthrin	Insecticide	23 (3.2%)	0.013 mg/kg	0.021 mg/kg	0.9 mg/kg
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
Myclobutanil	Fungicide	21 (3%)	0.002 mg/kg	0.002 mg/kg	0.5 mg/kg
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
Thiabendazole	Fungicide	16 (2.3%)	0.325 mg/kg	0.43 mg/kg	10 mg/kg
Reviewed evidence What regulators assessed: The long-term guidance value was based on body-weight suppression and nephrosis observed in an animal study at higher doses. Reference values Role Fungicide and veterinary anthelmintic Long-term reference (ADI) 0–0.1 mg/kg body weight per day Single-day reference (ARfD) 1 mg/kg body weight (general population); 0.3 mg/kg for women of child-bearing age Reviewed from WHO/FAO JMPR, 2019 ↗
Cyhalothrin, Total (Cyhalothrin-L + R157836 epimer)	Other / mixed	14 (2%)	0.003 mg/kg	0.003 mg/kg	0.3 mg/kg
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
Tebuconazole	Fungicide	12 (1.7%)	0.002 mg/kg	0.01 mg/kg	1 mg/kg
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
Fluopyram	Fungicide	9 (1.3%)	0.011 mg/kg	0.014 mg/kg	0.8 mg/kg
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
Fenpropathrin	Other / mixed	5 (0.7%)	0.002 mg/kg	0.002 mg/kg	5 mg/kg
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
Carbendazim (MBC)	Other / mixed	3 (0.4%)	0.02 mg/kg	0.03 mg/kg	2 mg/kg
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
Imidacloprid	Insecticide	3 (0.4%)	0.012 mg/kg	0.015 mg/kg	0.6 mg/kg
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
Cyfluthrin	Other / mixed	2 (0.3%)	0.002 mg/kg	0.002 mg/kg	0.5 mg/kg
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
Flonicamid	Other / mixed	1 (0.1%)	0.011 mg/kg	0.011 mg/kg	0.2 mg/kg
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
Thiacloprid	Other / mixed	1 (0.1%)	0.012 mg/kg	0.012 mg/kg	0.3 mg/kg
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗

“Higher result” is an approximate 95th-percentile observed concentration, not a safety threshold. Amounts of different pesticides should not be added together or compared directly. Functional types describe their usual agricultural role; they are not hazard or toxicity rankings.

ADI and ARfD are intake reference values, not limits for one food sample. A personal assessment would also require consumption, body-weight and wider exposure data. Source programmes report legal Maximum Residue Level results separately.

What this tells you

A monitoring result, not a verdict.

USDA PDP selects rotating commodities, with emphasis on foods important to consumer diets, including foods eaten by infants and children. It is not a test of every baby food - applesauce product sold in United States. This entry’s latest included calendar year release is from 2023.

Comparable annual records are available for 2023, 2013, 2012.

Published MRLs or tolerances are regulatory limits associated with pesticide use. Consumer-risk assessment is a separate process.

Broader sample coverage. At least 50 samples: broader monitoring coverage, but still targeted rather than random.

Compare organic and standard-grown results →

Common questions

How to read these baby food - applesauce results

Were pesticide residues detected on baby food - applesauce?

49.5% of 570 standard-grown samples in the 2023 USDA Pesticide Data Program dataset had at least one quantified residue.

Does that mean baby food - applesauce were unsafe?

No. A laboratory detection is not, by itself, a consumer-risk finding. Regulators assess dietary risk separately.

Should I buy organic baby food - applesauce?

The monitored organic samples had a 12.1% detection rate, compared with 49.5% for standard-grown samples. This is a shopping-priority comparison, not a health-risk score.