New data on pesticide residues, food consumption, and pesticide use reveal both the sources of consumers' dietary intake of pesticide residues and the benefits of research to develop safer alternatives to pesticide use. Consumers' dietary intake comes from four sources: onfarm pesticide use, post-harvest pesticide use, pesticides used on imported foods, and canceled pesticides that persist in the environment. Post-harvest uses account for the largest share of dietary intake of residues, but canceled and persistent chemicals appear among the highest risk indicators. Thus, research to develop onfarm pest control alternatives will not address all of the sources of these residues. While most pesticide uses do not result in detectable residues, higher levels of use do result in higher residues. The geographic source of residues can be identified.