Orange juice imports from five countries have been tested and cleared for the presence of the fungicide carbendazim, the Food and Drug Administration said today.
In an update today, the FDA said carbendazim levels detected in 19 of 45 samples of juice, juice concentrate and juice powder taken since testing began two weeks ago were safe, including shipments from Canada, Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica and Belize. The agency says the remainder are "pending analysis and/or are under compliance review."
But, as Reuters points out, the update does not mention samples from Brazil, which account for half of U.S. juice imports, and a spokeswoman would not say where the samples came from. Traders told Reuters they are worried that many may be from Brazil, where the fungicide is widely used to combat blossom blight and black spot, a mold that grows on orange trees. The price of orange juice futures surged today over concerns that the FDA might restrict imports from Brazil.
U.S. regulators banned carbendazim from citrus in 2009, but trace amounts of the fungicide are still allowed in orange juice and 31 other foods, including grains, nuts and some non-citrus fruits.
Last week the FDA said imported orange juice products that test below 10 parts per billion will be allowed in the country. That standard is far stricter than the Environmental Protection Agency's benchmark of 80 parts per billion, but the EPA told the FDA that juice containing up to 80 ppb "does not raise any safety issues."
In an FDA blog post Thursday, deputy food commissioner Michael Taylor told Americans "Don't Worry About Your Orange Juice."
By Michael Winter, USA TODAY