Cyhalothrin, Total (Cyhalothrin-L + R157836 epimer)
- Detection Rate
- 9.7%
- Benchmark Usage
- 3.38%
vegetable Data Profile#11 of 34 in vegetables
Lettuce
Lettuce has a pesticide load score of 76 and a Food Compass 2.0 score of 100, based on 4,150 monitoring samples.
Pesticide Load76Higher load (0=clean, 100=max)
Food Compass 2.0100exact nutritional match
Monitoring Samples4,1502010–2024 lab tests
Benchmark Coverage86.3%of detected residue load
Preparation & Safety
How to wash and prepare lettuce
Because lettuce 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 lettuce varies by market
| Market | Load Score | Samples Tested | Detection Rate | Reliability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | 82 | 2,999 | 80.6% | ✓ Solid (2999) |
| UK | 35 | 195 | 59.5% | ✓ Solid (195) |
| FR | 57 | 70 | 71.4% | ✓ Solid (70) |
| IT | 55 | 407 | 53.6% | ✓ Solid (407) |
| ES | 29 | 28 | 21.4% | ⚠️ Sparse (28) |
| PT | 67 | 67 | 70.1% | ✓ Solid (67) |
| CA | 65 | 384 | 52.9% | ✓ Solid (384) |
⚠️ 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 lettuce
Famoxadone
- Detection Rate
- 1.3%
- Benchmark Usage
- 0.582%
Oxydemeton methyl
- Detection Rate
- 1.3%
- Benchmark Usage
- 0.273%
Propamocarb hydrochloride
- Detection Rate
- 14.8%
- Benchmark Usage
- 0.186%
Public Evidence Trail
Official monitoring sources for lettuce
CanadaCFIA National Chemical Residue Monitoring Program
384 samples · 2019–2022 ↗FranceEFSA chemical monitoring — France
70 samples · 2024–2024 ↗ItalyEFSA chemical monitoring — Italy
407 samples · 2020–2024 ↗PortugalEFSA chemical monitoring — Portugal
67 samples · 2020–2024 ↗SpainEFSA chemical monitoring — Spain
28 samples · 2024–2024 ↗United KingdomUK Pesticide Residues in Food programme
195 samples · 2020–2022 ↗United StatesUSDA Pesticide Data Program
2,999 samples · 2010–2017 ↗TaiwanTaiwan FDA fruit and vegetable monitoring
318 samples · 2021–2026 ↗Explore Peer Produce
