US-Grown Rice Passes Important Test

By Josie McLaurin

USA Rice

Earlier this month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released its annual Pesticide Monitoring Program Report for Fiscal Year 2020. The report found that over 96 percent of domestic-made human foods were compliant with federal standards for pesticide tolerances set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The FDA also analyzed more than 100 animal food samples and found that all of the domestic animal food samples were compliant with federal standards. U.S. rice is a key ingredient in many domestic pet foods.

U.S.-grown rice sampled had zero pesticide tolerance violations and was fully compliant with federal standards according to the FDA. In the human food commodity groups, the violation rate in each group was higher for import samples.

“This report confirms what we already knew – U.S. grown food, especially rice, is the safest in the world,” said David Petter, Arkansas rice farmer and chair of the USA Rice Regulatory Affairs and Food Safety Committee. “U.S. rice farmers work hard to provide a safe and reliable food source for our country and comply with a significant set of regulatory standards laid out by the U.S. government.”

Petter added: “Consumers can rest assured that if they’re buying U.S.-grown rice, among other American products, that they are meeting U.S. food safety regulations.”