|  | What is PDP?
In 1991, the United States    Department of Agriculture(USDA) was charged with implementing a    program to collect data on pesticide residues in food. USDA'sAgricultural Marketing Service(AMS)    was appointed to undertake the creation and implementation of such a program, currently    known as the Pesticide Data Program (PDP). PDP has been in operation since May 1991 and    has published its findings for calendar years 1991 through 1998.

PDP data on pesticides in selected commodities are used by theEnvironmental Protection Agency(EPA)    to support its dietary risk assessment process and pesticide registration process, by theFood and Drug Administration(FDA)    to refine sampling for enforcement of tolerances, by the Foreign Agricultural Service,    USDA, to support export of U.S. commodities in a competitive global market, by the Economic Research Service, USDA,    to evaluate pesticide alternatives, and by the public sector to address food safety    issues.

EPA registers pesticides under a statutory standard that requires    balancing the benefits of a pesticide use against its potential risks to human health and    the environment. In making risk estimates, EPA uses a stepwise approach to minimize    resource expenditures. As an initial worst case assessment, EPA assumes that all acres of    all crops are treated with all pesticides for which they have a registered use. EPA also    assumes that residues in treated crops are present at the maximum allowable level. A    theoretical risk based on these worst case assumptions may significantly exceed the actual    risk of pesticide residues in the food supply and jeopardize the registration of    pesticides important to American agriculture. Further refinements to the risk assessment    are done if needed. These stepwise refinements include the use of percent of crop treated;    statistical analyses of field data; considerations of the effects of washing, cooking,    processing, storage, etc.; and use of monitoring data, if available and reliable. This is    where PDP data are pivotal. PDP's sampling procedures were designed to capture actual    residues in the food supply as close as possible to the time of consumption, thereby    significantly upgrading the statistical reliability and extent of information available    for risk assessment.

PDP continues to focus on theNational Academy of Sciences'    conclusions as shown in the 1993 report *Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children*.    In that report, the Academy recommends that pesticide residue monitoring programs target    foods highly consumed by children, and that analytical testing methods used be    standardized, validated, and subject to strict quality control and quality assurance    programs. Consequently, since 1994, PDP has modified its commodity testing profile to    include not only fresh fruits and vegetables, but also canned and frozen    fruits/vegetables, fruit juices, whole milk, wheat, soybeans, oats, corn syrup, peanut    butter, and poultry.

PDP is now a critical component of theFood Quality Protection Act of 1996. Title III Sec. 301(c) of the Act states: *The Secretary of Agriculture    shall ensure that the residue data collection activities conducted by the Department of    Agriculture in cooperation with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of    Health and Human Services, provide for the improved data collection of pesticide residues,    including guidelines for the use of comparable analytical and standardized reporting    methods, and increased sampling of foods most likely consumed by infants and children.*PDP,    as a result of the provisions of this Act, will have a more significant role in providing    the data needed to evaluate cumulative exposure to pesticide residues with a common    toxicological effect, and to create a statistically reliable database on endocrine    disruptors at minute detection levels needed to assess dietary risk to compromised    population groups.

PDP pesticide monitoring activities are a Federal-State    partnership, whereby 10 participating States collect fruit, vegetable, whole milk, oats,    and peanut butter samples from normal commercial distribution networks close to the point    of consumer availability. The collected samples are rushed to 7 State and 2 Federal    laboratories where the pesticide residue analyses are done. An agreement was made with    USDA's Grain, Inspection, Packers and Stockyard    Administration (GIPSA) to collect and analyze grains at one of    its Federal labs. An agreement was made with USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to begin collecting poultry samples in 2000 for analysis at one of    the Federal laboratories. Corn syrup samples were provided for analyses at one of the    participating State labs through an agreement with the National Corn Refiners Association and its    membership. The States participating in PDP deserve special recognition for their    contributions to the program. Sample collectors' vigilance and commitment allow AMS to    adjust sampling protocols in response to changing trends in commodity distribution.    Laboratory personnel have formulated recommendations to increase productivity and improve    methodologies.
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