An illegal fungicide was found in orange juice by Coca-Cola Co. The contamination is the result of Brazilian growers spaying the banned substance on fruit trees. The beverage manufacturer declined to say what brands were affected, but both Simply Orange and Minute Maid brands contain fruit from Brazil.
Earlier this week, the FDA said that an undisclosed juice company found traces of the fungicide in both its own products and those of competitors. The contaminated drinks are already for sale in stores, but that the levels found are not dangerous. The FDA will continue to test all juice products coming from Brazil and will make further decisions once they have obtained more data.
A Coca-Cola spokesperson said yesterday that they are working with FDA to take any step necessary to address safety concerns. Coke originally reported problems to the FDA back in December, when the fungicide was detected in general juice supplies during routine checks. “This is an industry issue that affects every company that produces products in the U.S. using orange juice from Brazil,” the company said in an official statement. Forty-one percent of imported oranges are estimated to come from Brazil.
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