May 29, 2012, Ottawa: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) today released two studies that found more than 99% of a wide variety of food samples tested were compliant with Health Canada standards for chemical residues. The CFIA routinely tests various food products for specific hazards to determine whether they pose a potential health risk to consumers. If a human health risk is found, a public recall notice is issued immediately.
A 2009-2010 study on pesticide residues in fresh fruit and vegetables found that 99.6% of fresh fruit and vegetables tested met Health Canada standards for pesticide residues . This study was funded under the Government of Canada Food and Consumer Safety Action Plan announced in 2007.
The CFIA collected 3,078 samples of apples, small berries, leafy greens and tomatoes and analyzed them for over 400 different pesticide residues. Broken down by category, 100% of apple products tested complied with Health Canada standards, 99.5% of small berries, 98.5% of leafy greens and 99.6% of tomatoes.
In another CFIA study conducted in 2008-2009 under the National Chemical Residue Monitoring Program (NCRMP) , the overall compliance rate for a variety of chemical residues was over 99%. These results are consistent with previous years.
Each year, the NCRMP study tests a wide variety of foods available to the Canadian public for chemical residues to confirm whether they comply with Health Canada standards. In 2008-2009, approximately 160,000 tests were performed on over 20,000 samples (domestic and imported), producing over 3 million results. Given the breadth of the report, findings normally take several years to complete.
In the few cases where chemical residues were detected, Health Canada determined they would not pose a health risk to consumers. If a human health risk is found, a public recall notice would be issued.
Canadians are also reminded to wash raw fruits and vegetables with clean, running water before you prepare and eat them.
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For media inquiries
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Media relations: 613-773-6600
Additional Information

Food Findings – Chemical Residues: National Chemical Residue Monitoring Program Annual Report, 2008-2009
Food Findings – Chemical Residues: Pesticide Residues in Fresh Fruit and Vegetables