All foods/Carrots

2022 · United States · USDA Pesticide Data Program · Calendar year

Pesticide residues found on carrots

58.4% 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 residue58.4%Moderate organic-buying priority

149 samples, standard-grown

No quantified residue41.6%Moderate organic-buying priority

All reported results below quantification

Multiple residues28.9%Moderate organic-buying priority

Two or more residues detected

Median residue count1Moderate organic-buying priority

Highest observed count: 4

Above published limit0%Moderate organic-buying priority

Compared with the recorded EPA tolerance

Organic: any residue3.6%Higher organic-buying priority

28 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.

YearStandard-grown samplesAny residueMultiple residuesOrganic samplesOrganic any residue
2022Calendar year14958.4%28.9%283.6%
2021Calendar year62661.8%29.7%822.4%
2020Calendar year44469.1%34.5%557.3%
2014Calendar year64773.9%53.6%6127.9%
2013Calendar year65478.9%53.1%5829.3%
2007Calendar year71181.3%53.3%3333.3%
2006Calendar year71784.9%57.5%2751.9%
2002Calendar year55085.5%54%4Withheld
2001Calendar year73281.6%49.3%742.9%
2000Calendar year18081.1%50.6%4Withheld
1996Calendar year49777.9%50.3%3Withheld
1995Calendar year69271.7%43.9%1118.2%
1994Calendar year69969.1%36.6%4Withheld

Residue detail

What was found on carrots?

The most frequently detected residues across all 177 samples. This is the complete available table for this monitoring entry.

177samples 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
LinuronOther / mixed53 (29.9%)0.024 mg/kg0.083 mg/kg1 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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BoscalidFungicide30 (16.9%)0.036 mg/kg0.083 mg/kg2 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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PyraclostrobinFungicide19 (10.7%)0.006 mg/kg0.017 mg/kg0.4 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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TrifluralinOther / mixed12 (6.8%)0.016 mg/kg0.039 mg/kg1 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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FluopyramFungicide11 (6.2%)0.009 mg/kg0.014 mg/kg0.3 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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PenthiopyradOther / mixed7 (4%)0.024 mg/kg0.049 mg/kg3 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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IprodioneOther / mixed5 (2.8%)0.042 mg/kg1.5 mg/kg5 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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Metalaxyl/MefenoxamOther / mixed4 (2.3%)0.017 mg/kg0.021 mg/kg0.5 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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AzoxystrobinFungicide4 (2.3%)0.015 mg/kg0.023 mg/kg1 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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FludioxonilFungicide2 (1.1%)0.38 mg/kg0.42 mg/kg7 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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EPTC (S-ethyl dipropylthiocarbamate)Other / mixed1 (0.6%)0.059 mg/kg0.059 mg/kg0.1 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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DifenoconazoleFungicide1 (0.6%)0.007 mg/kg0.007 mg/kg0.6 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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CyazofamidOther / mixed1 (0.6%)0.029 mg/kg0.029 mg/kg0.09 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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PendimethalinOther / mixed1 (0.6%)0.024 mg/kg0.024 mg/kg0.5 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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“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 carrots product sold in United States. This entry’s latest included calendar year release is from 2022.

Comparable annual records are available for 2022, 2021, 2020, 2014, 2013, 2007, 2006, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1996, 1995, 1994.

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 carrots results

Were pesticide residues detected on carrots?

58.4% of 149 standard-grown samples in the 2022 USDA Pesticide Data Program dataset had at least one quantified residue.

Does that mean carrots were unsafe?

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

Should I buy organic carrots?

The monitored organic samples had a 3.6% detection rate, compared with 58.4% for standard-grown samples. This is a shopping-priority comparison, not a health-risk score.