Acephate
- Detection Rate
- 3.1%
- Benchmark Usage
- 4.81%
vegetable Data Profile#8 of 34 in vegetables
Bell Peppers
Bell Peppers has a pesticide load score of 82 and a Food Compass 2.0 score of 100, based on 4,687 monitoring samples.
Pesticide Load82Higher load (0=clean, 100=max)
Food Compass 2.0100exact nutritional match
Monitoring Samples4,6872011–2024 lab tests
Benchmark Coverage78.3%of detected residue load
Preparation & Safety
How to wash and prepare bell peppers
Because bell peppers has higher surface permeability, synthetic pesticides easily adhere to the skin. To reduce exposure by up to 80–90%, soak in a 1% baking soda water solution (1 tsp baking soda per 2 cups cold water) for 12 to 15 minutes, then rinse vigorously under running water.
Market Comparison
How bell peppers varies by market
| Market | Load Score | Samples Tested | Detection Rate | Reliability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | 97 | 2,284 | 84.9% | ✓ Solid (2284) |
| UK | 54 | 227 | 78.4% | ✓ Solid (227) |
| DE | 61 | 1,146 | 75.7% | ✓ Solid (1146) |
| FR | 38 | 77 | 74% | ✓ Solid (77) |
| IT | 39 | 364 | 51.9% | ✓ Solid (364) |
| ES | 67 | 101 | 60.4% | ✓ Solid (101) |
| PT | 44 | 25 | 68% | ⚠️ Sparse (25) |
| CA | 93 | 463 | 69.8% | ✓ Solid (463) |
⚠️ Data Note: Markets marked with Sparse have under 30 official laboratory samples in the public record. A 0% detection in sparse tests does not guarantee absolute absence of residue in that region.
Chemical Residue Breakdown
Primary chemicals detected on bell peppers
Methamidophos
- Detection Rate
- 4%
- Benchmark Usage
- 3.68%
Acephate
- Detection Rate
- 0.5%
- Benchmark Usage
- 0.346%
Methamidophos
- Detection Rate
- 0.4%
- Benchmark Usage
- 0.293%
Public Evidence Trail
Official monitoring sources for bell peppers
CanadaCFIA National Chemical Residue Monitoring Program
463 samples · 2019–2022 ↗FranceEFSA chemical monitoring — France
77 samples · 2024–2024 ↗GermanyEFSA chemical monitoring — Germany
1,146 samples · 2021–2024 ↗ItalyEFSA chemical monitoring — Italy
364 samples · 2020–2024 ↗PortugalEFSA chemical monitoring — Portugal
25 samples · 2020–2024 ↗SpainEFSA chemical monitoring — Spain
101 samples · 2024–2024 ↗United KingdomUK Pesticide Residues in Food programme
227 samples · 2021–2024 ↗United StatesUSDA Pesticide Data Program
2,284 samples · 2011–2021 ↗TaiwanTaiwan FDA fruit and vegetable monitoring
280 samples · 2021–2026 ↗Explore Peer Produce
