Heavy Metals in Juice? Get the Facts

Facts about Juice & Lead

What You Need To Know: The juice industry is committed to providing safe, quality and nutritious juices and complies with all federal regulations for food safety. Federal guidelines are set based on an assessment of risk to human health.

People are not being over-exposed to lead by drinking juice. In fact, juice is a food that the Environmental Protection Agency  recommends as part of a healthy diet to fight lead poisoning. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) monitors levels of lead in food and drinks and has set an upper limit for lead in fruit juices at 50 parts per billion (ppb). The data collected by the FDA indicates there is no safety concern for lead in juice.

What It Is: Lead is a naturally occurring metal found in small amounts in the earth’s crust. Lead can be found in all parts of our environment – the air, the soil, the water, and even inside our homes. Therefore, many products including fruits that come from nature may contain trace, harmless amounts of lead.

Facts about Juice & Arsenic

What You Need to Know: The FDA routinely tests for contaminants including arsenic in food and beverages to ensure that any levels are not above safety thresholds. The juice industry complies with the FDA’s proposed action level of 10 parts per billion (ppb) for inorganic arsenic in apple juice. The data collected by the FDA indicates there is no safety concern for arsenic in juice.

What It Is: Arsenic is present in the environment as a naturally occurring substance or as a result of contamination from human activity. It is found in water, air, soil and plant-based foods.

Facts about Juice & Cadmium

What You Need to Know: Cadmium is present in higher concentrations in the leaves than in the fruits or edible portions of plants. There is no safety concern for cadmium in juice.

What It Is: Cadmium is a natural element in the earth’s crust.  It can be found in the air, soil and water. Trace amounts of cadmium are unavoidable in certain foods.

Facts about Juice & Glyphosate

What You Need to Know: To ensure safety, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets tolerances for pesticide levels, including glyphosate. The EPA limits (or tolerances) for residues are set at a level that reflects EPA’s determination that the pesticide can be used with “reasonable certainty of no harm.” The juice industry complies with all EPA limits and there is no safety concern.

What It Is: Glyphosate has been used as a pesticide since the 1970s to control certain weeds and grasses. The product is used primarily in agriculture but also in forestry and lawn and garden care.