All foods/Sweet Corn, Fresh

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

Pesticide residues found on sweet corn, fresh

10.1% 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 residue10.1%Lower organic-buying priority

601 samples, standard-grown

No quantified residue89.9%Lower organic-buying priority

All reported results below quantification

Multiple residues2%Lower organic-buying priority

Two or more residues detected

Median residue count0Lower organic-buying priority

Highest observed count: 3

Above published limit0.8%Higher organic-buying priority

Compared with the recorded EPA tolerance

Organic: any residue0%Lower organic-buying priority

6 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
2024Calendar year60110.1%2%60%
2023Calendar year14810.1%0%3Withheld
2015Calendar year4661.9%0.2%2Withheld
2014Calendar year1331.5%0%1Withheld
2009Calendar year6660.2%0%2Withheld
2008Calendar year1520.7%0%0Withheld

Residue detail

What was found on sweet corn, fresh?

The most frequently detected residues across all 607 samples. This is the complete available table for this monitoring entry.

607samples 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
Dicofol p,p'Other / mixed14 (2.3%)0.004 mg/kg0.019 mg/kg0.000 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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MethomylOther / mixed9 (1.5%)0.001 mg/kg0.004 mg/kg2 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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ChlorpyrifosOther / mixed8 (1.3%)0.004 mg/kg0.006 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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CarbarylOther / mixed5 (0.8%)0.004 mg/kg0.005 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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Piperonyl butoxideOther / mixed5 (0.8%)0.008 mg/kg0.155 mg/kg10 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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FlupyradifuroneInsecticide4 (0.7%)0.017 mg/kg0.029 mg/kg0.05 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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DDD p,p'Other / mixed4 (0.7%)0.003 mg/kg0.004 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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Endosulfan IOther / mixed4 (0.7%)0.023 mg/kg0.027 mg/kg0.000 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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MethoxyfenozideInsecticide4 (0.7%)0.002 mg/kg0.003 mg/kg0.05 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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Deltamethrin (includes parent Tralomethrin)Other / mixed3 (0.5%)0.099 mg/kg0.16 mg/kg0.05 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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TebuconazoleFungicide3 (0.5%)0.002 mg/kg0.011 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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Esfenvalerate+Fenvalerate TotalOther / mixed3 (0.5%)0.023 mg/kg0.12 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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ChlorantraniliproleInsecticide2 (0.3%)0.005 mg/kg0.006 mg/kg0.02 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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Permethrin TotalOther / mixed2 (0.3%)0.141 mg/kg0.25 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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CyfluthrinOther / mixed1 (0.2%)0.03 mg/kg0.03 mg/kg0.05 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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FluopyramFungicide1 (0.2%)0.002 mg/kg0.002 mg/kg0.01 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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AcetamipridInsecticide1 (0.2%)0.002 mg/kg0.002 mg/kg0.01 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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Endosulfan IIOther / mixed1 (0.2%)0.014 mg/kg0.014 mg/kg0.000 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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FlutriafolOther / mixed1 (0.2%)0.005 mg/kg0.005 mg/kg0.03 mg/kg
Health summary pending

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

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Thiencarbazone methylOther / mixed1 (0.2%)0.017 mg/kg0.017 mg/kg0.01 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 sweet corn, fresh product sold in United States. This entry’s latest included calendar year release is from 2024.

Comparable annual records are available for 2024, 2023, 2015, 2014, 2009, 2008.

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 sweet corn, fresh results

Were pesticide residues detected on sweet corn, fresh?

10.1% of 601 standard-grown samples in the 2024 USDA Pesticide Data Program dataset had at least one quantified residue.

Does that mean sweet corn, fresh were unsafe?

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

Should I buy organic sweet corn, fresh?

The monitored organic samples had a 0% detection rate, compared with 10.1% for standard-grown samples. This is a shopping-priority comparison, not a health-risk score.