Pesticide residues in Japan’s food supply: insights from 2013–2023 monitoring data

This study summarises the results of Japan's national pesticide residue monitoring program conducted between fiscal years 2013 and 2023. A total of 492,484 food samples were analysed, of which approximately 80% were imported. Annual sampling was consistent at approximately 55,000 samples. Analysis was conducted for more than 500 pesticide residues (mean: 474 per year), resulting in over 18 million pesticide-commodity combinations. Overall, 11.0% of the samples contained at least one detectable pesticide residue, and 0.28% were non-compliant with maximum residue limits. Fruits had the highest detection rates (36.0%) and multiple residues (16.5%), followed by herbs and spices (18.7% and 11.2%, respectively). In contrast, food products of animal origin had the lowest positive (2.3%) and non-compliance (0.05%) rates. The non-compliance rate exceeded 1% for nuts and seeds (1.6%). Residue detection did not consistently align with consumption: cherries showed a high detection rate (77.6%) but low consumption (0.2 g/day), whereas onions had a low detection rate (0.52%) despite high consumption (32 g/day). Frequently detected residues included neonicotinoids, pyrethroids, and fungicides, mainly from the demethylation inhibitor and strobilurin classes. These findings suggest that pesticide use in food commodities entering and distributed within Japan is appropriate and underscore the effectiveness of Japan's regulatory control over pesticide residues.