Should You Cross Orange Juice Off Your Shopping List? The FDA Says No

Orange juice is the beverage that begins or accompanies breakfast in about two-thirds of American homes, experts say. Therefore, it’s not surprising that the discovery of contamination became big news recently. The FDA has admitted that, yes, there are low levels of the pesticide carbendazim in some commercial orange juice products sold in the U.S.  This fungicide has been detected in imported orange juice concentrate even though it has not been approved for use with oranges in the U.S.   But is there really anything to worry about? Here’s the government’s bold-faced  response: FDA wants to assure consumers that orange juice in the U.S. does not pose a health risk. Still wary? Here are some government responses to questions probably remaining in consumers’ minds and some comments from our site’s Advisory Board and ABC News. 

Q/As from FoodSafety.gov

What is carbendazim?

Carbendazim is a fungus-killing chemical used in Brazil and some other countries to preserve agricultural crops. Brazil provides about 11 percent of the orange juice in the United States market, and industry reports indicate that carbendazim is being used there because of a problem with black spot, a type of mold that grows on orange trees.  FDA, which is the agency responsible for ensuring that food in the U.S. does not contain harmful pesticide residues, is taking steps to make certain that any carbendazim residues in orange juice do not present a threat to U.S. consumers.

Should I stop drinking orange juice?

No. Although the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the agency that evaluates the safety of pesticides, has not approved the use of carbendazim as a pesticide on oranges, it is premittedd in the U.S. for other crops. FDA believes the levels of carbendazim in orange juice are so low that there are no public health concerns. The agency bases this conclusion on the preliminary risk assessment conducted by EPA, which found that the levels being reported for orange juice products already in the U.S. were far below any level that would pose a safety concern.

FDA can determine if carbendazim is present in orange juice products at levels of 10 parts per billion (ppb) or greater.  FDA has collected samples from 80 shipments to the U.S. of orange juice or orange juice concentrate.  As of Friday, January 27^th, 29 shipments tested negative for carbendazim.  Of the 11 shipments that tested positive, nine were refused entry and the other two were withdrawn by the firms that were importing them. If any orange juice is found with carbendazim in amounts that may be a health risk, FDA will alert the public and act to remove it from the market.

How can I tell if orange juice is from Brazil? 

Orange juice product labels in the U.S. must list any foreign countries that produce orange juice concentrate used in the product—whether the juice is frozen concentrated (the water is removed) or reconstituted ready-to-drink (the water is added back in to make it liquid).  While many orange juice products contain some juice from Brazil, the levels of carbendazim are so low that they do not pose a safety concern.  [ED Note: Organic orange juice is probably less likely to contain carbendazim.]

Why are we importing all this juice anyway?

Orange juice is very popular in this country and to meet the demand year-round, U.S. food manufacturers use both domestic and imported orange juice. Also, oranges grown in the U.S. are sometimes in short supply due to hurricanes, freezes, and other weather events. While Brazil is the main source of orange juice concentrate imported into the U.S., only about 11%of the U.S. orange juice supply comes from Brazil.  When Brazilian juice is used, it’s generally blended with juice from the U.S. and other countries.

Comments from our Advisory Board scientists:

Food scientist Dr. Catherine Cutter: “Brazil may have different policies and levels of allowable carbendazim. We may need to reject what comes from Brazil if it doesn’t meet our standards.”

Food scientist Dr. Joe Regenstein: This is an APPROVED pesticide for other products.  However, it was NOT approved for oranges.  It was found in small quantities.  Not ideal, but not a danger either. In the future, will this pesticide be approved for use in orange juice?  The manufacturer has to decide if the expense it worthwhile, if it will increase sales.

Food process engineer Dr. Timothy Bowser: I don’t want to focus on the amount of illegal or banned compounds found in the juice, just the fact that they are present. To me it’s a violation of trust and an indication that there might be other problems lurking in the system. Trust is an important component of any economic system, and violation of trust results in instability and problems.

Comments from ABC News:

“Carbendazim has been found to cause birth defects in rodents and some chromosome problems in human cells in laboratories. However, it hasn't been found to have any health effects for humans.”  

 “Critics say the orange juice contamination does show the system is vulnerable to imported food supplies. Caroline Smith Dewall of the Center for Science in the Public Interest said. ‘The real concern is the next hazard that's going to enter through imported products.’”

For more information on this topic, check out these resources:

• Consumer Updates: Q&A on Carbendazim and Orange Juice Products
• Carbendazim in Orange Juice Products
• FDA Blog: Why Your Orange Juice is Safe

Source(s):

FoodSafety.gov “Is OJ safe to Drink?”
http://www.foodsafety.gov/blog/orange_juice.html

abcnews.go.com “Is Your Orange Juice Safe?  FDA Says Carbendazim Causes No Safety Concern”
http://abcnews.go.com/US/orange-juice-safe-fda-carbendazim-safety-concern/story?id=15504105#.TzrCllFQ0yE

blackqueenlara.com  “Arsenic in Orange Juice?  Orange Juice’s ‘Secret Ingredient’ Worries Some Health-Minded Moms”

http://www.blackqueenlara.com/2011/12/18/arsenic-in-orange-juice-orange-juices-secret-ingredient-worries-some-health-minded-moms/

Timothy J. Bowser, Ph.D, Oklahoma State University, Dept. of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Catherine N. Cutter, Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University, Dept. of Food Science

Joe Regenstein, Ph.D., Cornell University, Dept. of Food Science