EPA Receives Petitions on Pesticide Residues in Food
Published Date: 6/22/2026
Proposed Rule
Summary
The EPA just announced new requests to change rules about pesticide leftovers on foods like fruits and veggies. Farmers, food makers, and shoppers should know these updates could affect what’s allowed on their produce. You’ve got until July 22, 2026, to share your thoughts before any decisions are made—so don’t miss out!
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 4 mixed.
EPA May Change Requested Tolerances or Commodities
EPA may grant a final tolerance or exemption that differs from what a petitioner requested; for example, EPA might change commodity names, vary tolerance levels, or require tolerances on related commodities (such as tops or animal feed derived from a crop). Public commenters are asked to consider the possibility of such revisions.
Public Comment Window to July 22, 2026
EPA is taking public comments on petitions to set or change pesticide residue rules. You can submit comments online at regulations.gov; comments must be received on or before July 22, 2026.
Petition: Exempt Ascr#18 from Tolerances
Ascribe Bioscience filed PP 3F9099 asking EPA to exempt residues of Ascr#18 from tolerance requirements for raw agricultural commodities and processed food. The petitioner says Ascr#18 is naturally occurring, non-toxic, and applied at a very low rate (20 fl. oz. per acre), and therefore believes residues should not be a human health concern.
Petition: Melatonin Exemption for All Crops
CH Biotech filed PP 4F9133 requesting EPA establish an exemption from tolerance requirements for melatonin residues on all raw agricultural commodities with no numerical limit. The petitioner requested no analytical method because they seek an exemption without a numerical limitation.
Petition: Sulfoxaflor Tolerance for Pistachio at 0.5 ppm
Corteva filed PP 6F9228 requesting EPA set a tolerance for the insecticide sulfoxaflor on pistachio at 0.5 parts per million (ppm). The petitioner provided an analytical method (Offline Solid-Phase Extraction and LC-MS/MS) to measure sulfoxaflor residues.
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