Orange Juices May Contain Pesticide from Brazilian Oranges

If you are like many American families, orange juice is probably a staple item at the family breakfast table. When your family drinks their juice, you probably feel like they are consuming something healthy, which is usually the case. However, disturbing finds in orange juices and concentrate show low levels of a fungicide banned in the US, the most likely source being oranges from Brazil.

Although the United States does not import oranges from Brazil, we do import orange juices and juice concentrates containing oranges from Brazil.It was recently discovered by a juice company that the fungicide called carbendazim was found in it’s own products, as well as those of it’s competitors . It is thought that this fungicide originated from Brazil’s 2011 crop of oranges, which were used in the juices and concentrates in question.

Brazil is the world’s leading orange producer, and carbendazim is legal for use in Brazil and other parts of the world. However, in the US, it is considered a pesticide chemical residue that is not approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. It is against the law to use carbendazim in the US.

The Food and Drug Administration claims that the levels found were low enough that they should not pose a public health threat and feels there is no safety concern at this point in time. However, the FDA will continue to run testing and sample imports of orange juices and concentrates to check for carbendazim. If any is found, these products will not be allowed into the US. At this point, no plans have been made to remove current products from the marketplace.

In the US, 25% of the oranges used in imported juice and concentrates come from Brazil. Even popular named brand oranges such as Tropicana use it. If you are concerned about the safety of Brazilian oranges, stick to brands using only Florida oranges to eliminate any possible exposure to this fungicide


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