Acephate
- Detection Rate
- 0.4%
- Benchmark Usage
- 0.314%
fruit Data Profile#17 of 29 in fruits
Watermelon
Watermelon has a pesticide load score of 47 and a Food Compass 2.0 score of 100, based on 2,546 monitoring samples.
Pesticide Load47Moderate load (0=clean, 100=max)
Food Compass 2.0100exact nutritional match
Monitoring Samples2,5462014–2024 lab tests
Benchmark Coverage86%of detected residue load
Preparation & Safety
How to wash and prepare watermelon
Because watermelon 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 watermelon varies by market
| Market | Load Score | Samples Tested | Detection Rate | Reliability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | 43 | 2,169 | 52% | ✓ Solid (2169) |
| UK | 27 | 80 | 62.5% | ✓ Solid (80) |
| DE | 20 | 135 | 56.3% | ✓ Solid (135) |
| IT | 12 | 34 | 11.8% | ✓ Solid (34) |
| ES | 93 | 36 | 72.2% | ✓ Solid (36) |
| PT | 7 | 1 | 0% | ⚠️ Sparse (1) |
| CA | 10 | 91 | 59.3% | ✓ Solid (91) |
⚠️ 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 watermelon
Methamidophos
- Detection Rate
- 0.5%
- Benchmark Usage
- 0.232%
Imidacloprid
- Detection Rate
- 10.2%
- Benchmark Usage
- 0.025%
Thiamethoxam
- Detection Rate
- 5.4%
- Benchmark Usage
- 0.011%
Public Evidence Trail
Official monitoring sources for watermelon
CanadaCFIA National Chemical Residue Monitoring Program
91 samples · 2019–2022 ↗GermanyEFSA chemical monitoring — Germany
135 samples · 2021–2024 ↗ItalyEFSA chemical monitoring — Italy
34 samples · 2020–2024 ↗PortugalEFSA chemical monitoring — Portugal
1 samples · 2020–2020 ↗SpainEFSA chemical monitoring — Spain
36 samples · 2024–2024 ↗United KingdomUK Pesticide Residues in Food programme
80 samples · 2021–2024 ↗United StatesUSDA Pesticide Data Program
2,169 samples · 2014–2023 ↗TaiwanTaiwan FDA fruit and vegetable monitoring
81 samples · 2023–2025 ↗Explore Peer Produce
