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Walmart apple juice recalled due to high arsenic content


Walmart apple juice recalled due to high arsenic content

Attention juice lovers: Walmart has recalled apple juice sold in the US due to concerns about high arsenic levels.

Florida-based Refresco Beverages US Inc. has voluntarily recalled six-packs of 8-ounce (227-gram) Great Value apple juice after discovering levels of the chemical contaminant that exceeded U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limits for inorganic arsenic. The recall affects 9,535 cases of Great Value brand apple juice sold at Walmart stores in 25 states, including Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Virginia.

According to the Associated Press, the FDA recently upgraded its original August 15 recall announcement to Class II, warning that the affected product may cause temporary adverse health effects but is unlikely to cause serious or irreversible medical problems.

“The health and safety of our customers is always our highest priority,” Walmart spokeswoman Molly Blakeman said in a statement. “We have removed this product from our affected stores and are working with the supplier to investigate the matter.”

Last year, the FDA lowered the industry limit for inorganic arsenic in apple juice from 23 parts per billion to 10 ppb, the same level for water. At about 13 parts per billion (ppb), the arsenic level in the recalled Great Value apple juice is slightly above the FDA’s safe level.

Exposure to inorganic arsenic is associated with adverse health effects, including cancer, diabetes, adverse birth outcomes, and cardiovascular and neurodevelopmental disorders. Arsenic, which occurs both naturally and as a result of human activities, cannot be completely removed from the environment and/or the food supply.

The FDA has not released any reports of possible illnesses related to the apple juice recall.

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