The FDA Responds to Arsenic in Apple Juice Episode

A Follow up on The Today Show to The Dr. Oz Show episode airing 9/14/11 claiming that arsenic in apple juice is unsafe for long-term health.

Aired: September 15, 2011

On The Today Show

The FDA has responded to the statements Dr. Oz made on his show which aired yesterday, 9/14/11 saying that Dr. Oz's independent lab results looking at arsenic levels in apple juice are flawed. In a statement released by the FDA they said it would be irresponsible and misleading for Dr. Oz to say that apple juice is unsafe.

The FDA tested the same lots of apple juice that were tested for the show and found them to be safe when looking at different types of arsenic. Making the distinction between naturally occurring organic arsenic and the inorganic form of arsenic that is used in commercial products such as pesticides, the FDA says that Dr. Oz got it wrong by testing the total amount of arsenic in apple juice and he is needlessly scaring the American public.

For Dr. Oz to say that there are no limits on arsenic in apple juice is misleading, according to the report on The Today Show. The FDA tests apple juice throughout the manufacturing steps from import to production and after product enters the marketplace.

On Dr. Oz called the levels of arsenic found in the apple juice dangerous.

Matt Lauer asked Dr. Oz why should The Today Show believe him and not the FDA.

Dr. Oz let Mr. Lauer know that he is not the only person or group looking into the issue of arsenic in apple juice that there is public concern over the levels. Dr. Oz stands behind the tests he commissioned and added that in addition to testing the 36 samples twice his team also gathered another set of 36 samples and tested those as well. Each round of tests came to the same conclusion that the levels of total arsenic in apple juice are higher than the acceptable level allowed in drinking water.

Contending Dr. Oz's results, the FDA stated that the methodology of the test was flawed in that it did not differentiate between organic and inorganic arsenic. However Dr. Oz rebutted with the fact that he used the very same methodology that the government used to test for arsenic in both drinking water and pear juice – total arsenic without differentiating between organic and inorganic forms.

Dr. Oz feels it's not fair to state that organic arsenic is safe. He agrees that focus should be placed on inorganic arsenic but continues to stress that arsenic levels in apple juice exceeding 10ppb is unacceptable.

To reiterate from yesterday's show, Dr. Oz is encouraging the American public to make informed purchasing decisions at the grocery store when it comes to buying apple juice and to contact apple juice manufactures as wells as the FDA and let them know your opinion.

For more information on this particular episode of The Dr. Oz Show which aired 9/14/11, see my blog post here.

Throughout the day today, news stations are picking up on the apple juice controversy. Here are links to stations talking about the controversy:

The Denver Channel
The Today Show
The New York Daily News
MSNBC
ABC News
The Huffington Post
The Daily Hearld, Chicago
The Seattle Times
Cafe Mom
KITV Hawaii

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