Was Dr. Oz Right About The Apple Juice Threat?

Back in September, Dr. Oz made headlines when he did a story about arsenic in apple juice, only to have the Food and Drug Administration (and some news sources) say it's natural. "There is no evidence of any public health risk from drinking these juices," the FDA said in a press release in September.

Well, it looks like the apple juice controversy is back. Consumer Reports noticed that while the FDA has federal standards for arsenic and lead levels in drinking water, there aren't any limits for fruit juices.

Their investigation found that 10 percent of juice samples had arsenic levels higher than the FDA drinking water standards, and most of the arsenic found was inorganic (a carcinogen). Consumer Reports tested 88 samples of apple juice and grape juice.

Their test results actually aren't that surprising, sources say. "Our test findings of arsenic and lead in apple juice are in line with existing data from the Food and Drug Administration," a Consumer Reports representative said. "In fact, the agency has found higher levels of arsenic and lead in apple juice."

Still, Consumer Reports proposes that the FDA set a limit of arsenic levels for juice and lower limits for water. Your move, FDA.

The Daily Byte is a regular column dedicated to covering interesting food news and trends across the country. Click here for previous columns.