Shipments of orange juice from all countries have been put on hold and the fate of the juice ready for distribution is in question as federal investigators work to determine if shipments contain a cancer-causing fungicide.

Last month, low levels of the fungicide carpendazim was detected in some of the orange juice imported from Brazil. Nearly half of all orange juice imported into the United States comes from Brazil, and many juice products sold in this country contain a blend of both domestic and imported juice.

Carpendazim is a chemical that is used in crops in many countries but its use on orange crops is banned in the United States. The fungicide has been linked in studies to increase the risk of liver tumors in animals.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not previously tested for the fungicide because it was never a problem; however, an unnamed juice company recently reported finding the chemical in shipments of competitors’ orange juice. That company says it has been testing shipments of the juice for several years. The FDA became aware of the situation when the unnamed juice company sent a letter to the Juice Products Association, a Washington trade group.

The FDA’s “test-and-hold” policy involves all juice imports, not just those from Brazil. The agency says it does not believe the levels of the fungicide are high enough to cause a safety concern. Once test results are returned, the FDA says it will determine whether to release the shipments of orange juice for sale or destroy it.

Source: LA Times