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

Pesticide residues found on mushrooms

68.1% 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 residue68.1%Moderate organic-buying priority

664 samples, standard-grown

No quantified residue31.9%Moderate organic-buying priority

All reported results below quantification

Multiple residues24.7%Moderate organic-buying priority

Two or more residues detected

Median residue count1Moderate organic-buying priority

Highest observed count: 5

Above published limit0%Moderate organic-buying priority

Compared with the recorded EPA tolerance

Organic: any residue13.3%Higher organic-buying priority

45 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	664	68.1%	24.7%	45	13.3%
2022 ↗Calendar year	677	65.3%	23.5%	30	23.3%
2013 ↗Calendar year	514	51.8%	4.5%	18	0%
2012 ↗Calendar year	720	60.8%	10%	24	0%
2011 ↗Calendar year	184	63.6%	13%	2	Withheld
2003 ↗Calendar year	552	58.3%	22.8%	0	Withheld
2002 ↗Calendar year	725	61.9%	23.2%	3	Withheld
2001 ↗Calendar year	183	66.1%	29%	1	Withheld

Residue detail

What was found on mushrooms?

The most frequently detected residues across all 709 samples. This is the complete available table for this monitoring entry.

709samples 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
Thiabendazole	Fungicide	312 (44%)	0.1 mg/kg	0.69 mg/kg	40 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 ↗
Metrafenone	Fungicide	234 (33%)	0.009 mg/kg	0.047 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 ↗
Permethrin cis	Other / mixed	44 (6.2%)	0.002 mg/kg	0.022 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 ↗
Piperonyl butoxide	Other / mixed	25 (3.5%)	0.009 mg/kg	0.21 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 ↗
Permethrin trans	Other / mixed	24 (3.4%)	0.002 mg/kg	0.021 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 ↗
Chlorpropham	Herbicide	10 (1.4%)	0.002 mg/kg	0.007 mg/kg	0.000 mg/kg
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
Imazalil	Fungicide	5 (0.7%)	0.002 mg/kg	0.005 mg/kg	0.000 mg/kg
Reviewed evidence What regulators assessed: Regulatory limits were derived from animal studies that observed changes including body-weight gain, blood chemistry and liver weight at higher doses. Reference values Role Fungicide, including post-harvest treatment Long-term reference (ADI) 0–0.03 mg/kg body weight per day Single-day reference (ARfD) 0.05 mg/kg body weight Reviewed from WHO/FAO JMPR, 2018 ↗
Ametoctradin	Other / mixed	5 (0.7%)	0.002 mg/kg	0.002 mg/kg	0.000 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	4 (0.6%)	0.002 mg/kg	0.005 mg/kg	0.000 mg/kg
Health summary pending No reviewed substance-specific summary is available, so no health effect is inferred. Search WHO/FAO JMPR ↗
Phorate oxygen analog sulfoxide	Other / mixed	1 (0.1%)	0.002 mg/kg	0.002 mg/kg	0.000 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 mushrooms product sold in United States. This entry’s latest included calendar year release is from 2023.

Comparable annual records are available for 2023, 2022, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2003, 2002, 2001.

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 mushrooms results

Were pesticide residues detected on mushrooms?

68.1% of 664 standard-grown samples in the 2023 USDA Pesticide Data Program dataset had at least one quantified residue.

Does that mean mushrooms were unsafe?

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

Should I buy organic mushrooms?

The monitored organic samples had a 13.3% detection rate, compared with 68.1% for standard-grown samples. This is a shopping-priority comparison, not a health-risk score.