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Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Consumer Reports finds arsenic, lead in leading fruit-juice brands
Consumers Union is urging federal officials to establish a standard for arsenic in apple and grape juice after its affiliated magazine, Consumer Reports, found arsenic levels that exceeded federal drinking-water standards in five juice brands, according to this Consumer Reports story released this morning, Nov. 30. The lack of federal standards for fruit juices are putting children at unnecessary risk for serious health problems, including several forms of cancer, the magazine said.
The magazine also tested the juice samples for lead, finding that about 25 percent of the samples contained lead levels higher than the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) bottled-water limit of 5 parts per billion. Most of the arsenic detected in Consumer Reports’ tests was a type known to be a human carcinogen, magazine officials said.
“While federal standards exist for arsenic and lead levels allowed in bottled and drinking water, there are no limits defined for fruit juices, a mainstay of many children’s diets, putting them at unnecessary risk for serious health problems, including several forms of cancer,” Consumers Union officials said in an email media advisory.
Consumer Reports said it tested 28 apple juices and three grape juices from bottles, cans, and juice boxes purchased in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York in August and September 2011. The samples came from ready-to-drink bottles, juice boxes, and cans of concentrate. Multiple lot numbers were purchased when possible, and in total, 88 samples were tested, magazine officials said.
Here’s what the tests showed, according to the following excerpt from the Consumer Reports story:
Five samples of apple juice and four of grape juice had total arsenic levels exceeding the 10 ppb federal limit for bottled and drinking water. Levels in the apple juices ranged from 1.1 to 13.9 ppb, and grape-juice levels were even higher, 5.9 to 24.7 ppb. Most of the total arsenic in our samples was inorganic, our tests showed.
As for lead, about one fourth of all juice samples had levels at or above the 5-ppb limit for bottled water. The top lead level for apple juice was 13.6 ppb; for grape juice, 15.9 ppb.
The following brands had at least one sample of apple juice that exceeded 10 ppb: Apple & Eve, Great Value (Walmart), and Mott’s. For grape juice, at least one sample from Walgreens and Welch’s exceeded that threshold. And these brands had one or more samples of apple juice that exceeded 5 ppb of lead: America’s Choice (A&P), Gerber, Gold Emblem (CVS), Great Value, Joe’s Kids (Trader Joe’s), Minute Maid, Seneca, and Walgreens. At least one sample of grape juice exceeding 5 ppb of lead came from Gold Emblem, Walgreens, and Welch’s. Our findings provide a spot check of a number of local juice aisles, but they can’t be used to draw general conclusions about arsenic or lead levels in any particular brand. Even within a single tested brand, levels of arsenic and lead sometimes varied widely.
The complete test results for all 88 samples are available at this Consumer Reports link.
The complete report is included in the January 2012 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.
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Carvers, Jay’s ring in the holiday season by opening for lunch
Carvers Steaks & Chops in Washington Twp. and Jay’s Restaurant in the Oregon Historic District in Dayton — two restaurants that are dinner-only establishments 11 months of the year — are open for lunch Dec. 1 through Dec. 23 to accommodate holiday get-togethers, office parties and other seasonal gatherings.
Carvers’ special lunch menu includes Turkey Reuben ($8.50), Salmon Caesar Salad ($11) and Filet Mignon ($20). Jay’s lunch menu includes Oysters Rockefeller ($11), Kobe Beef Burger ($12), and New England Lobster Roll ($14).
Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at both restaurants. To make reservations at Carvers, call (937) 433-7099. To make reservations at Jay’s, call (937) 222-2892.
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