All foods/Blackberries, Fresh

2024 · United States · USDA Pesticide Data Program · Calendar year

Pesticide residues found on blackberries, fresh

90% 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.

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Any residue90%Higher organic-buying priority

591 samples, standard-grown

No quantified residue10%Higher organic-buying priority

All reported results below quantification

Multiple residues77.7%Higher organic-buying priority

Two or more residues detected

Median residue count4Higher organic-buying priority

Highest observed count: 13

Above published limit4.4%Higher organic-buying priority

Compared with the recorded EPA tolerance

Organic: any residue35.1%Higher organic-buying priority

94 samples, interpret cautiously

Residue detail

What was found on blackberries, fresh?

The most frequently detected residues across all 685 samples. This is the complete available table for this monitoring entry.

685samples 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.

ResidueTypeSamplesMedianHigher resultTypical published limit
CypermethrinOther / mixed264 (38.5%)0.07 mg/kg0.66 mg/kg0.8 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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BoscalidFungicide208 (30.4%)0.047 mg/kg0.33 mg/kg10 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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PyraclostrobinFungicide187 (27.3%)0.018 mg/kg0.2 mg/kg4 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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BifenthrinInsecticide179 (26.1%)0.026 mg/kg0.27 mg/kg1 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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AcetamipridInsecticide156 (22.8%)0.022 mg/kg0.23 mg/kg1.6 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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AzoxystrobinFungicide143 (20.9%)0.039 mg/kg0.4 mg/kg5 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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SpinetoramOther / mixed126 (18.4%)0.012 mg/kg0.08 mg/kg0.8 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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MalathionOther / mixed123 (18%)0.011 mg/kg0.094 mg/kg8 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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Metalaxyl/MefenoxamOther / mixed116 (16.9%)0.005 mg/kg0.17 mg/kg0.7 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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CyprodinilFungicide109 (15.9%)0.061 mg/kg0.6 mg/kg10 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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Tetrahydrophthalimide (THPI)Other / mixed107 (15.6%)0.072 mg/kg0.58 mg/kg25 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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ImidaclopridInsecticide94 (13.7%)0.041 mg/kg0.47 mg/kg2.5 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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FludioxonilFungicide69 (10.1%)0.073 mg/kg0.39 mg/kg5 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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Spinosad AOther / mixed57 (8.3%)0.012 mg/kg0.047 mg/kg1 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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FluopyramFungicide48 (7%)0.08 mg/kg0.31 mg/kg5 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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HexythiazoxOther / mixed46 (6.7%)0.033 mg/kg0.35 mg/kg3 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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FenhexamidOther / mixed44 (6.4%)0.11 mg/kg0.79 mg/kg20 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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PyrimethanilFungicide39 (5.7%)0.3 mg/kg1.1 mg/kg15 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

MyclobutanilFungicide37 (5.4%)0.012 mg/kg0.068 mg/kg2 mg/kg
Health summary pending

No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred.

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IprodioneOther / mixed33 (4.8%)0.27 mg/kg1.1 mg/kg25 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, fresh product sold in United States. This entry’s latest included calendar year release is from 2024.

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, fresh results

Were pesticide residues detected on blackberries, fresh?

90% of 591 standard-grown samples in the 2024 USDA Pesticide Data Program dataset had at least one quantified residue.

Does that mean blackberries, fresh were unsafe?

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

Should I buy organic blackberries, fresh?

The monitored organic samples had a 35.1% detection rate, compared with 90% for standard-grown samples. This is a shopping-priority comparison, not a health-risk score.