Arsenic in Apple Juice?
It started innocently enough. Dr. Oz presented a show that promised to shock the nation. And it did. He reported that apple juice may not be safe for our children's consumption.
Consumer Reports jumped on the juice bandwagon with its own reporting: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/consumer-reports-magazine-january-2012/arsenic-in-your-juice/index.htm?EXTKEY=AYAHLTH01
Of course, my question is, what exactly is arsenic? Of course I've heard about it, you know, Arsenic and Old Lace. But I didn't know much more about it than that. So I went to OSHA.gov and EPA.gov to find out. Apparently it's a natural substance that you can find in the earth's crust, in the air, water, and in animals and plants. Sounds pretty tame, right? But exposure to high amounts of this natural substance can cause a myriad of health problems, or even death.
Thus the newest scare that has pervaded the country.
Now, if you'd like a second opinion (after all, Dr. Oz is a doctor), here it is: http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20110914/fda-apple-juice-oz-110914/
The FDA is in disagreement with how the testing has been handled. They feel Dr. Oz is comparing apples to oranges, so to speak. They feel that "testing for overall arsenic is a poor testing method because it cannot distinguish between organic and inorganic arsenic." (www.ctv.ca)
My son drinks Wegman's apple juice nearly every day. Wegman's brand was not one of the juices tested by Consumer Reports. Still, I will admit to wondering if I should cut back on the juice. At least until further inquiries are made. But let's say that all Americans feel this way. There will be a huge drop-off in apple and grape juice production. It will harm the farming industry, which has already suffered incredibly with a bad growing season and the cantaloupe recall. And what if it turns out we have nothing to worry about? That the levels of arsenic are low enough as to not be harmful? It will hurt the apple farming industry.
But what if drinking this juice...even eating applesauce...does prove to be harmful? What if we are serving our children something that is a potential killer?
More tests need to be run. And soon. The quicker this can be resolved, the better for everyone. Meantime, read these articles. And check out Dr. Oz's article, too: http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/arsenic-apple-juice
Be informed and make your own decision. In the meantime, view this clip sent to me by Alexandra Pfenninger from Newsy Community. (Twitter: @Newsyvideos)
Consumer Reports jumped on the juice bandwagon with its own reporting: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/consumer-reports-magazine-january-2012/arsenic-in-your-juice/index.htm?EXTKEY=AYAHLTH01
Of course, my question is, what exactly is arsenic? Of course I've heard about it, you know, Arsenic and Old Lace. But I didn't know much more about it than that. So I went to OSHA.gov and EPA.gov to find out. Apparently it's a natural substance that you can find in the earth's crust, in the air, water, and in animals and plants. Sounds pretty tame, right? But exposure to high amounts of this natural substance can cause a myriad of health problems, or even death.
Thus the newest scare that has pervaded the country.
Now, if you'd like a second opinion (after all, Dr. Oz is a doctor), here it is: http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20110914/fda-apple-juice-oz-110914/
The FDA is in disagreement with how the testing has been handled. They feel Dr. Oz is comparing apples to oranges, so to speak. They feel that "testing for overall arsenic is a poor testing method because it cannot distinguish between organic and inorganic arsenic." (www.ctv.ca)
My son drinks Wegman's apple juice nearly every day. Wegman's brand was not one of the juices tested by Consumer Reports. Still, I will admit to wondering if I should cut back on the juice. At least until further inquiries are made. But let's say that all Americans feel this way. There will be a huge drop-off in apple and grape juice production. It will harm the farming industry, which has already suffered incredibly with a bad growing season and the cantaloupe recall. And what if it turns out we have nothing to worry about? That the levels of arsenic are low enough as to not be harmful? It will hurt the apple farming industry.
But what if drinking this juice...even eating applesauce...does prove to be harmful? What if we are serving our children something that is a potential killer?
More tests need to be run. And soon. The quicker this can be resolved, the better for everyone. Meantime, read these articles. And check out Dr. Oz's article, too: http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/arsenic-apple-juice
Be informed and make your own decision. In the meantime, view this clip sent to me by Alexandra Pfenninger from Newsy Community. (Twitter: @Newsyvideos)
My son drinks Wegmans Organic Apple Juice daily as well...and from what I have found, Wegmans no longer gets their apple concentrate from China, which is where the competetors get theirs and is the real problem. The arsenic is found in that concentrate. Wegmans reports that they are cutting out and replacing anything from China in their name brand.
ReplyDeleteThanks, huliabee12. That's good news for me. I'll bet more people will buy Wegman's products, too. I appreciate you adding your comment.
ReplyDelete