Orange Juice

  FDA Halts Orange Juice Shipments Over Carbendazim Banned in the United States

January 11th, 2012
TODAYS ARTICLE

Today with the concerns of traces of chemicals showing up in our drinks more often than not, it seems only a matter of time that another drink, orange juice in this article, is being examined, It was just a short time ago that our Apple juice was under scrutiny. Orange juice is a common drink, a favorite of mine.that perhaps many would agree with as well. Why is Orange juice now under fire of the FDA?

The FDA Announced...

They  have temporarily halted all imports of orange juice.This was prompted by fears that  orange juice being imported,especially orange juice imported from Brazil, contains traces of carbendazim.

Carbendazim

Carbendazim is a widely used broad-spectrum benzimidazole fungicide.The fungicide is used to control plant diseases in cereals and fruit, including oranges, bananas, strawberries,and pineapples It is also,to those who may not know, this is being controversially used in Queensland, Australia, within macadamia plantations. A 4.7% solution of carbendazim hydrochloride is sold as a treatment for Dutch elm disease
Studies have also found that carbendazim causes infertility and destroys the testicles of laboratory animals. Carbendazim was included in a biocide ban proposed by the Swedish Chemicals Agency and approved by the European Parliament on January 13, 2009.

 Soon as studies linked Carbendazim  to increased rates of cancers and infertility, an outright ban of its use on American oranges was soon enacted. Nevertheless, carbendazim is still legal in Brazil, and the European Union allows foods to contain up to 200 parts per billion of this fungicide.
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Reports that an FDA spokeswoman said that an unnamed juice company's testing found levels up to 35 parts per billion of the fungicide.  However despite this being far below the EU's maximum residue level of 200 parts per billion, the FDA officials weren't concerned about the safety of orange juice. It seems  more or less the opportunity for increasing the testing to make sure that contamination wasn't a problem.

The FDA will indeed move forward...

To take measures to remove tainted orange juice off store shelves if its testing uncovers unsafe levels of carbenzadim. Also the FDA is also screening orange juice that's already for sale in the U.S. market because some juices are a mixture of imported and domestic juice. The for imported orange juice that tests at carbenzadim concentrations of 10 parts per billion or higher will be refused or destroyed.


The overwhelming majority of orange juice consumed in the U.S. is produced from domestic oranges, though Bloomberg reports that Brazil produces almost one in every six glasses of orange juice consumed, according to CitrusBR, an export industry association.

Todays Comments

Today we must certainly be concerned with what we eat and drink as our health has been linked to many chemicals that are known to provide adverse health consequences. Orange juice is simply one of those drinks that is loaded with health benefits...it could be dramatic if we now find chemicals in our OJ that is of no benefit, but harmful! Thank goodness most of the orange juice we drank is from our own country,

Further Reading

"Fungicide maker in birth defect storm".
Sydney Morning Herald. 
 "Interpretation of criteria for approval of active substances in the proposed EU plant protection regulation".
 "MEPs approve pesticides legislation"

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