Watch for Carbendazine in your Orange Juice Watch for Carbendazine in your Orange Juice
U.S. Food and Drug Administration

– Carbendazim in Orange Juice Products April 5, 2012 Sampling Update Available1

FDA is investigating reports that carbendazim, a fungicide, is present at low levels in some orange juice products. These products are a blend of domestic orange juice and imported orange juice from Brazil.

The levels of carbendazim reported appear to be the result of the application of a pesticide/fungicide on orange trees. The fungicide is approved for such use in Brazil and several other countries, but not the United States.

Carbendazim in orange juice is an unlawful pesticide chemical residue under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. FDA has been coordinating closely with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the agency responsible for the evaluation of the safety of the pesticide residue.

Based on EPA’s conclusions from its preliminary risk assessment, consumption of orange juice with carbendazim at the low levels that have been reported does not raise safety concerns.

Actions taken by FDA:

FDA has sent a letter to the Juice Products Association stating that it does not intend to take action to remove from domestic commerce orange juice containing the reported low levels of carbendazim. FDA is conducting its own testing of orange juice for carbendazim. If the agency identifies orange juice with carbendazim at levels that present a public health risk, it will alert the public and take the necessary action to ensure that the product is removed from the market. To ensure the continued safety of orange juice, FDA is also sampling import shipments of orange juice and will deny entry to shipments that test positive for carbendazim