The Wall Street Journal reports that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has decided not to ban orange juice imports, despite the fact that there remain concerns about the presence of the fungicide carbendazim in juice brought into the country.
According to the story, “The fungicide, carbendazim, was federally approved for use on oranges as recently as 2009 and is considered safe for dozens of other U.S. crops, including apricots, bananas, cherries, grapes, peaches and pears. The Environmental Protection Agency also approved its use on apples and allows for small amounts of it in apple juice. Regulators halted orange-juice imports for testing last month because the approval had expired and no one sought to have the fungicide reapproved for use in oranges.
“The latest FDA results showed that of 86 shipments tested, 46 were negative for carbendazim. Twenty tested positive, meaning they contained more than 10 parts per billion of the fungicide. Another 20 results are pending. Shipments with amounts above 10 parts per billion are being denied entry into the U.S.”
According to the story, “The fungicide, carbendazim, was federally approved for use on oranges as recently as 2009 and is considered safe for dozens of other U.S. crops, including apricots, bananas, cherries, grapes, peaches and pears. The Environmental Protection Agency also approved its use on apples and allows for small amounts of it in apple juice. Regulators halted orange-juice imports for testing last month because the approval had expired and no one sought to have the fungicide reapproved for use in oranges.
“The latest FDA results showed that of 86 shipments tested, 46 were negative for carbendazim. Twenty tested positive, meaning they contained more than 10 parts per billion of the fungicide. Another 20 results are pending. Shipments with amounts above 10 parts per billion are being denied entry into the U.S.”
- KC's View:
- I’m sorry. I can’t read stories about this subject without thinking about how the strings are almost certainly being pulled by Randolph and Mortimer Duke. And that there’s probably a bet - for a buck - at the heart of all the controversy.
