Dr. Oz Helps Make Apple Juice Safer
By Alison Ashton
Your kids' apple juice is about to get a whole lot safer.
In fall 2011, the team at The Dr. Oz Show investigated a surprising food safety concern: high levels of arsenic in apple juice. They sent samples of five top national brands of apple juice to an independent lab for testing.
The results dismayed parents everywhere: Some samples had much higher levels of arsenic than the 10 parts per billion that the Environmental Protection Agency allows in our drinking water.
Learn how arsenic gets into your family's apple juice.
But, as Dr. Oz reported, the level of arsenic in apple juice wasn't regulated by the FDA, which is responsible for safeguarding the food we buy
Until now.
The FDA has just announced it is proposing a new limit on the acceptable level of arsenic to 10 parts per billion -- the same as drinking water. Apple juice that exceeds that level could be pulled from supermarket shelves and manufacturers could face legal action.
The new limits represent an about-face for the FDA, which initially disputed the findings on The Dr. Oz Show. But the new standards are an example of our system of debate, review and investigation working as it should to improve food safety, says Dr. Oz.
"The important detail here is not that reduced arsenic levels are a new standard," says Dr. Oz, "but that we now have a safer grocery store because the system worked."
Until the new FDA limit goes into effect, here are three tips from Dr. Oz for buying safe apple juice.
But food safety concerns don't stop with apple juice. Here are more ways to safeguard your family's food:
Ashley Koff, RD, discusses potential safety issues about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food.
Dr. Robin Miller shares 6 steps to avoid bisphenol A (BPA) in food packaging.
Here's another family favorite food that may contain arsenic
