WASHINGTON — Coca-Cola Co. acknowledged Thursday that it was the company that alerted federal regulators about low levels of fungicide in its own orange juice and in competitors’ juice, prompting juice prices to rise and increased government testing for the residue.
The Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency have said orange juice is safe to drink and the levels found are below levels of concern.
Atlanta-based Coca-Cola, which makes the Minute Maid and Simply Orange brands of orange juice, said Thursday it had notified the FDA of the low levels of the fungicide carbendazim in the company’s orange juice and in competitors’ juice. The FDA had said Monday that an unnamed company had told the agency about the fungicide and confirmed Wednesday the company was Coca-Cola.
Neither the FDA nor the company said which orange juice products tested positive. Carbendazim is not currently approved for use on citrus in the United States, but it is used to combat mold on orange trees in Brazil, which exports orange juice to the United States. Fungicides are used to control fungi or fungal spores in agriculture.
“This is an industry issue that affects every company that produces products in the U.S. using orange juice from Brazil,” said Coca-Cola spokesman Dan Schafer.
The FDA said Coca-Cola found levels up to 35 parts per billion of the fungicide, far below the European Union’s maximum residue level of 200 parts per billion.
The U.S. government has not established a maximum residue level for carbendazim in orange juice, although the EPA has said a risk assessment showed no risks of concern at up to 80 parts per billion.
