With so many food and beverage manufacturers to choose from, it is important for health conscience parents to take the time to thoroughly read the food labels to determine if the ingredients meet their health guidelines and criteria.
In addition, it is also important to, at least marginally, understand the various manufacturing processes that the food or beverage product undergoes, from the initial growing and harvesting steps to the final packaging process.
When many parents choose a healthy drink to feed to their young children, they often reach for the nearest bottle of apple or grape juice. Unfortunately, a recent study conducted by Consumer Reports indicates that some samples from manufacturers of apple and grape juices contain harmful arsenic levels.
Arsenic is a compound that has been proven to increase the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Arsenic in juice brands like Gerber, Gold Emblem, and Mott’s have been shown to be at levels that are considered to be dangerous, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
How Much Arsenic in Juice is Too Much Arsenic?
According to the Consumer Reports study, roughly 10% of the 88 juices sampled contained arsenic levels exceeding the maximum limits for drinking water as defined by the Food and Drug Administration.
The FDA has set this limit at 10 parts per billion. The worst offender was a certain grape juice which contained more than 24 particles of arsenic per billion particles of liquid. Consumer Report’s researchers also referred to a separate FDA study that detected arsenic levels in excess of 86 parts per billion in a particular sample of baby apple juice.
The researchers were quick to point out that within each brand, one sample of juice may contain low, virtually undetectable levels of arsenic while the next may contain abnormally high levels. In other words, no single brand was found to be consistently guilty of high arsenic content, though some brands were consistently innocent.
What Brands Are Affected?
A total of five different brands produced at least one juice sample with arsenic content meeting or exceeding 10 parts per billion: Welch’s, Walgreens, Mott’s, Great Value (Walmart’s house brand) and Apple and Eve. The brands that had at least one sample above 5 parts per billions included America’s Choice, Gerber, Gold Emblem (CVS’s house brand), Joe’s Kids (Trader Joe’s house brand), Seneca and Minute Maid.
Again, none of these brands consistently produced dangerous levels of arsenic in juice, though the fact that even some of the samples were tainted in alarming.
Arsenic in Juice: The Bottom Line
Scientific evidence shows that prolonged exposure to arsenic in juice, even at levels well below the 10 parts per billion limit, could lead to eventual health problems. Consumer Reports is now calling on the FDA to establish standards for juice, not just drinking water. The researchers believe that 3 parts per billion should be the upper limit for arsenic content in all drinks.
For now, your best bet is to stick with the unaffected brands or to purchase your favorite fresh fruits and squeeze your own juice, especially if you have young children. An alternative option may be to continue drinking whatever brand you like while limiting your daily consumption.
