EPA Updates Safe Pesticide Levels on Food Like Diphenylamine
Published Date: 2/20/2026
Rule
Summary
The EPA is updating rules about how much of certain pesticides, like diphenylamine, can safely stay on our food. Farmers, food makers, and pesticide companies need to know these changes start February 20, 2026, and they have until April 21, 2026, to raise any concerns. These updates help keep our food safe without causing extra costs or delays.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
EPA finalizes food-safety findings
You eat food that may have small amounts of pesticide residue. On February 20, 2026, EPA finalized safety findings that the pesticide tolerances covered by this rule meet the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act safety standard and are considered "safe" for aggregate exposure.
New ppm limits for many commodities
If you grow, process, or make food, EPA set or revised specific pesticide residue limits (parts per million) for multiple active ingredients effective February 20, 2026. Examples in the rule include diphenylamine on apples at 10 ppm and apple, wet pomace at 30 ppm; diflubenzuron on mushroom at 8 ppm and cotton gin byproducts at 30 ppm; flutolanil peanut hay at 20 ppm; isoxaflutole grain aspirated fractions at 0.3 ppm; famoxadone on spinach at 50 ppm; aminopyralid corn, field, forage at 0.3 ppm; fenazaquin tea, dried at 10 ppm; and tembotrione corn, field, forage at 0.6 ppm.
Six‑month transition for lowered tolerances
If an existing tolerance is lowered or revoked by this rule, the prior tolerance remains in effect for six months after publication to give exporters in WTO Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement member countries time to adapt. The six‑month interval starts from the date of publication of the final rule.
EPA says small entities won’t face significant costs
EPA certified under the Regulatory Flexibility Act that this action "will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities" and states the action "has no net burden on small entities subject to this rulemaking."
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