294 samples, standard-grown
2023 · United States · USDA Pesticide Data Program · Calendar year
Pesticide residues found on blackberries
93.2% 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.
All reported results below quantification
Two or more residues detected
Highest observed count: 14
Compared with the recorded EPA tolerance
44 samples, interpret cautiously
Residue detail
What was found on blackberries?
The most frequently detected residues across all 338 samples. This is the complete available table for this monitoring entry.
338samples 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cypermethrin | Other / mixed | 167 (49.4%) | 0.093 mg/kg | 0.57 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 ↗ | |||||
| Boscalid | Fungicide | 99 (29.3%) | 0.091 mg/kg | 0.47 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 ↗ | |||||
| Cyprodinil | Fungicide | 97 (28.7%) | 0.09 mg/kg | 0.97 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 ↗ | |||||
| Malathion | Other / mixed | 97 (28.7%) | 0.007 mg/kg | 0.047 mg/kg | 8 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Acetamiprid | Insecticide | 96 (28.4%) | 0.025 mg/kg | 0.14 mg/kg | 1.6 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Bifenthrin | Insecticide | 92 (27.2%) | 0.024 mg/kg | 0.29 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 ↗ | |||||
| Pyraclostrobin | Fungicide | 85 (25.1%) | 0.038 mg/kg | 0.25 mg/kg | 4 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Azoxystrobin | Fungicide | 71 (21%) | 0.039 mg/kg | 0.39 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 ↗ | |||||
| Fludioxonil | Fungicide | 65 (19.2%) | 0.068 mg/kg | 0.49 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 ↗ | |||||
| Spinetoram | Other / mixed | 59 (17.5%) | 0.012 mg/kg | 0.061 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 ↗ | |||||
| Tetrahydrophthalimide (THPI) | Other / mixed | 59 (17.5%) | 0.058 mg/kg | 0.65 mg/kg | 25 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Imidacloprid | Insecticide | 43 (12.7%) | 0.022 mg/kg | 0.28 mg/kg | 2.5 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Fluopyram | Fungicide | 42 (12.4%) | 0.105 mg/kg | 0.44 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 ↗ | |||||
| Spinosad A | Other / mixed | 42 (12.4%) | 0.019 mg/kg | 0.13 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 ↗ | |||||
| Metalaxyl/Mefenoxam | Other / mixed | 40 (11.8%) | 0.011 mg/kg | 0.11 mg/kg | 0.7 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Pyrimethanil | Fungicide | 34 (10.1%) | 0.375 mg/kg | 1.2 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
Reviewed from WHO/FAO JMPR, 2007 ↗ | |||||
| Fenhexamid | Other / mixed | 26 (7.7%) | 0.285 mg/kg | 0.9 mg/kg | 20 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Iprodione | Other / mixed | 21 (6.2%) | 0.48 mg/kg | 2.1 mg/kg | 25 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 | 20 (5.9%) | 0.06 mg/kg | 0.29 mg/kg | 12 mg/kg |
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗ | |||||
| Myclobutanil | Fungicide | 19 (5.6%) | 0.013 mg/kg | 0.058 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 ↗ | |||||
“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 blackberries product sold in United States. This entry’s latest included calendar year release is from 2023.
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 blackberries results
Were pesticide residues detected on blackberries?
93.2% of 294 standard-grown samples in the 2023 USDA Pesticide Data Program dataset had at least one quantified residue.
Does that mean blackberries were unsafe?
No. A laboratory detection is not, by itself, a consumer-risk finding. Regulators assess dietary risk separately.
Should I buy organic blackberries?
The monitored organic samples had a 31.8% detection rate, compared with 93.2% for standard-grown samples. This is a shopping-priority comparison, not a health-risk score.