Fungicide in Orange Juice Not a Threat, Officials Say

JENNIFER PIERCE
Copy Editor

Last month, a fungicide called carbendazim was found by Coca-Cola Co. in their orange juice and their competitorsʼ orange juice as well. They alerted federal offi cials about the unapproved fungicide and that Brazilian growers use the fungicide as pesticide on their orange trees.
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), carbendazim is legally used in Brazil to combat mold that grows on orange trees. The use of fungicide on plants has not been approved of in the U.S. but is permitted in non-food items.
The fungicide is potentially harmful when people are exposed to high levels; among the especially susceptible are children, pregnant women and sick or aging people. Concern that this incident will cause a drop in orange juice sales sent prices plummeting.
“Thatʼs really scary. The thought of having possible [harmful substances] in orange juice makes it really hard to trust [the companies],” junior Karen Tsuchihara said.
As Brazil produces about 11 percent of all the orange juice consumed in the United States, Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo Inc. and the FDA are taking this matter very seriously.
These levels are currently low (less than 80 parts per billion), but the FDA is checking orange juice sold in supermarkets and all imports. Three shipments from Canada were cleared while samples from Mexico, Canada and Brazil are still under testing.
Nonetheless, the Environmental Protection Agency has said that the fungicide consumed at low levels should not cause any safety concerns.