arsenic in apple and grape juice

The FDA finally did it.  After tests of dozens of samples of fruit juices (apple and grape) tested on the Dr. Oz Show nearly two years ago produced arsenic readings of up to 36 ppb (parts per billion), the FDA has finally decided that we should be getting no more than 10 ppb of arsenic in our juices.  All of this begs the question of why arsenic is found in juice — or any foodstuffs for that matter — in the first place.  It is important to remember that arsenic is found naturally in the earth’s crust, in our water supply, and in our soil in trace amounts.  If this is true, what’s the big hoo ha about?

The reason that there is arsenic found in these juices mostly has to do with what is sprayed on apples, grapes, and other fruits that the juices are made from.  Many (maybe even most) countries that we import produce from, have little or no regulation as far as herbicides and pesticides are concerned.  Chemicals that are banned for use by American agriculture are manufactured right here in the good ole USA, and then shipped overseas to be sprayed on foreign crops.  The produce is then imported back into America and labeled “Safe” by the FDA.  Look at any list of the worst fruits and vegetables for chemical residues, and you will always notice that grapes are at or near the top, with apples not far behind.

By the way, there is a reason that the American Academy of Pediatricians recommends that babies under 6 months old completely avoid juice; and that they also suggest no more than a maximum of 6 oz per day until they are 6 years old and no more than 12 oz per day after that.  Little (i.e. none) of this has to do with arsenic.  It has to do with the fact that most “juices” are really only a small percentage of juice, and mostly CHLORINATED / FLUORIDATED SUGAR WATER (the whole mess being pasteurized so that anything vital and living is killed).  How many kids do you know who drink mass quantities of juice because mom thinks it’s healthier than other drinks like SODA?  Is it any wonder that we have an epidemic of UNCONTROLLED BLOOD SUGAR and DIABETES in this country?