Brazilian monitoring programs for pesticide residues in food - Results from 2001 to 2010

► 13,556 samples were analyzed for pesticides, 48.3% were positive and 13.2% irregular. ► Less than 3% of the samples had residue levels above the MRL. ► About 80% of apple, papaya, sweet pepper and strawberry samples were positive. ► Dithiocarbamates and organophosphorus pesticides were found in over 1/3 of samples. ► About 8% of positive samples contained up to four residues of the same chemical class.