Walmart had to recall another of its popular products due to arsenic levels found by epidemiologists.
The supermarket giant had to recall nearly 10,000 cases of its Great Value apple juice after tests showed that the juice contained excessive levels of inorganic arsenic.
The FDA originally issued the recall on August 15, but upgraded the warning to a Category II warning.
WalmartEverything you need to know about the apple juice recall.
Class II recalls are issued for products that have a lower likelihood of causing serious injury or death, but still have the potential for serious adverse reactions with irreversible consequences.
This type of recall concerns substances that may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health effects.
The recalled juices were sold in six-packs of 237 ml bottles in Walmart stores in 25 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.
This isn’t the first time apple juice has been recalled due to arsenic levels. In fact, 25,000 bottles were recalled in May for the same reason. Remember those bottles everyone was biting into on TikTok? Yes, those ones.
So why does arsenic get into our apple juice? And is it still drinkable?
Arsenic is released into the environment through industrial and agricultural processes and exists in two forms: organic and inorganic. Inorganic arsenic, which appeared in the apple juice recalls, is considered the more toxic form, according to the World Health Organization.
Arsenic exposure usually occurs through smoking tobacco, being in the vicinity of tobacco smoke, or eating or drinking contaminated plants.
“In the United States, arsenic—particularly inorganic arsenic—has been used in agriculture as a component of pesticides, herbicides and insecticides,” says Jordan Kuiper, Ph.D., an epidemiologist and assistant professor at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University.
“It is important to note that apple trees can absorb arsenic from the contaminated soil and/or water, from where it then travels to other parts of the plant, including the apple fruit itself. However, arsenic can enter the final product, apple juice, at several points in the production process.”
Contact with arsenic can lead to arsenic poisoning in the short term. However, since it is also carcinogenic, it is associated with the development of skin, lung and bladder cancer, according to the WHO.
“Although arsenic can occur naturally in some foods, including apple juice, levels are generally considered low and safe for consumption,” says Dr. Daniel Ganjian, a pediatrician at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California.
“It is important to note, however, that the amount of arsenic in apple juice can vary depending on factors such as where the apples are grown and specific processing methods.”
So the best advice is to be vigilant about recalls and try to reduce your apple juice consumption if you are someone who drinks a lot of it.
