United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1994-05-13 monographic deposited born digital GA 1.13:RCED-94-57 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-57 P0b002ee180394e70 f:rc94057 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-57 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-57 RCED-94-57 Pesticide regulation Public health legislation Food and drug law Carcinogens Health hazards Agricultural pests Pesticide industry Regulatory agencies Economic analysis Contaminated foods Other Written Product RCED

Different standards in two key pesticide laws--the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act--have led to differences in the way pesticides used on foods are regulated. These differences have their basis in law rather than science. As a result, pesticides that have been found to cause cancer may be used on some foods but not on others, and the benefits of using pesticides, such as increased crop yields, may be considered in some but not all regulatory decisions. Several proposals are before Congress to establish a single regulatory standard. This report discusses (1) the federal pesticide laws and the policies that the Environmental Protection Agency developed to implement them and (2) legislative options for establishing a single standard for regulating the use of pesticides on food. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-57/html/GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-57.htm GAO/RCED-94-57 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-94-57 Other Written Product GAO/RCED-94-57; Pesticides: Options to Achieve a Single Regulatory Standard; Pesticide regulation Public health legislation Food and drug law Carcinogens Health hazards Agricultural pests Pesticide industry Regulatory agencies Economic analysis Contaminated foods Title 7 Section 136a(c)(5) Title 7 Section 136(bb) 7 U.S.C. 136a(c)(5) 7 U.S.C. 136(bb) Title 21 Section 346a(b) 21 U.S.C. 346a(b)