Graphical abstract The reforming and opening-up and the development of agricultural science and technology have brought about the rapid growth of China’s food quantity and solved the problem that 20% of the world’s population has enough to eat. At the same time, it also brings the problem of harmful residues in food. On the one hand, the Chinese government guides farmers to rationally use chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and veterinary drugs. On the other hand, in urban and rural school canteens and farmers’ markets in third-tier cities, the implementation of pesticide residue detection system. Through the investigation of 24 kinds of edible agricultural products which are easy to produce harmful residues, and using a variety of statistical methods, the results showed that at present, the residues of harmful substances in edible agricultural products consumed by urban residents and school canteens in urban and rural areas have been well controlled, and the compliance rate is about 80%. The residues of harmful substances in edible agricultural products consumed by rural residents obviously exceed the standard. Taking rice production as an example, although farmers can reduce the risk of excessive pesticide residues in rice through rational application of pesticides, they are more worried about less application of pesticides and bear the risk of reducing rice production. Most farmers still choose to take the risk of excessive pesticide residues.
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