This paper describes the trend of international movement of pesticide residues in food products as reported by countries having a regular monitoring program. For the most part, detention of exports from developing countries refer to cases in which the illegal residues found in the produce pertain to either a non registered chemical or when the recipient country has not yet established a Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) for that particular crop/pesticide combination. Fewer violations are noted when residue levels exceed tolerance limits set by national or regional legislations. Information on violative cases has also permitted the study of high risk residue trends moving on the international front. In the past, persistent insecticides were responsible for most of the export rejections; at present, fungicides are becoming of greater concern due to the increasing development of disease resistance to fungicides, as well as the need to ensure better post-harvest protection practices. Risks are also foreseen on the use of a wide range of OP insecticides lacking registration and/or facing tolerance reductions in developed countries such as those being proposed by the recently implemented U.S. EPA 1996 Food Quality Protection Act. Actual residues detected in food exports from the various developing country areas are assessed with a view to highlight major actual or potential residues risks emerging from present world food trade practices.