EPA Caps Pesticide Sneaking into Your Black Pepper
Published Date: 12/8/2025
Rule
Summary
The EPA just set a legal limit for azoxystrobin pesticide residues on black pepper, thanks to a request from the American Spice Trade Association. This rule kicks in on December 8, 2025, and affects farmers, food makers, and pesticide producers who work with black pepper. If anyone wants to object or ask for a hearing, they have until February 6, 2026, to speak up—no extra costs or delays expected!
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
1 ppm Tolerance for Black Pepper
EPA established a legal limit of 1 part per million (ppm) for residues of the fungicide azoxystrobin on black pepper, effective December 8, 2025. The rule is an import tolerance (a tolerance without a U.S. registration) and the rule notes there are no U.S. registrations for azoxystrobin on black pepper as of December 8, 2025. This action is identified as potentially affecting agricultural producers, food manufacturers, and pesticide manufacturers.
Child Safety Margins and Risk Findings
EPA kept the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) safety factor at 3X for acute dietary exposure and reduced it to 1X for other exposure scenarios. EPA's risk numbers show acute exposure at 29% of the acute population adjusted dose (aPAD) and chronic exposure at 66% of the chronic population adjusted dose (cPAD) for children aged 1 to 2 years, with an aggregate margin of exposure (MOE) of 200 for that group; EPA concluded there is a reasonable certainty of no harm to the general population or to infants and children.
Five-Year Residue Data Requirement
EPA will require submission of data demonstrating that residue levels in food are not above anticipated levels no later than five years after issuance of the tolerance; for this action that deadline is December 8, 2030. EPA will issue any necessary data call-ins under FFDCA section 408(f)(1).
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