babble » blogs » Strollerderby
Strollerderby
Why Dr. Oz May Be Right About Apple Juice
I don't think Dr. Oz will make moms stop buying apple juice entirely, but maybe they will check where the apples come from.
By now you’ve probably heard of the highly controversial Dr. Oz show in which he claimed there are high levels of arsenic in store bought apple juice. In case you didn’t, my colleague Stephanie Precourt first broke the news about the apple juice controversy earlier in the week.
This show certainly caused some public debate, including the FDA to take a firm stance disputing Dr. Oz’s claims.
But is it possible that besides being a big ratings draw, the idea that apple juice (or any other food or beverage) containing harmful ingredients might have some truth to it?
The FDA says absolutely not. On their website, they staunchly deny any idea that apple juice is unsafe:
“There is no evidence of any public health risk from drinking these juices. And FDA has been testing them for years.”
FDA spokeswoman Stephanie Yao said in the Washington Post, “We’re concerned that people are going to start thinking their juice is unsafe when that’s not case.”
The FDA claims that Dr. Oz performed inaccurate tests by including naturally occurring arsenic, organic arsenic in the same results with inorganic arsenic which does have harmful effects. According to the FDA, organic arsenic is essentially harmless and the inorganic kind can be harmful at high and long-term levels of exposure. That is not very different from what Dr. Oz stated. He said that long term exposure may have harmful effects. It looks like the FDA wanted him to only test the organic type of arsenic which is found in water, air, food, and soil in organic and inorganic forms.
Dr. Oz says to look at exactly where we import our apples from. While the U.S. maintains highs standards for insecticides, other countries do not, he says. He believes we should find out where these juice companies buy their apples and test those apples for harmful insecticides:
There has been a huge shift in where our apples come from. Sixty percent of apples in America come from overseas. We have been so careful to take the arsenic out of our water and our pesticides so our kids and family can’t have it, but that is not true overseas.
The FDA says their own tests show much lower arsenic levels and they feel that Oz is just trying to “scare moms”.
No matter what side you fall on in this debate, it is certainly bringing a vital issue to the forefront: We should always be on the lookout for potential health risks in our food supply.
There are a lot of foods that the FDA says are perfectly fine that many of us do not feel are good for our kids. Think trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, and salt. And let’s not forget how much of today’s meat supply is pumped with hormones and antibiotics.
None of us should put the FDA’s findings over our own judgement. It’s possible that the debate caused by the show will help moms and dads become more aware of what goes into the big company products, and where they purchase their raw products. Did Dr. Oz use apple juice to get ratings? More than likely. Did it scare most moms? I doubt it.
The truth of what is actually in our foods, I’m sure, is much more scarier.
Image: Stockxchng/topfer
More On Apple Juice: NY Senator Calls For Regulation Of Apple Juice Concentrate From China
Find Me:
Follow me on Facebook!
Follow me on Google+!
Twitter: DanniSullWriter
StumbleUpon: DanniSullWriter
Go Back To Strollerderby
9 Comments
Anon, the original one commented on Sep 16 11 at 11:31 amHaven’t we all learned by now that it’s just best to drink water and eat whole fruit?
SusanP commented on Sep 16 11 at 2:47 pmI’m not a big buyer of juices for the kids anyway, but will pick up a bottle or two if hosting a b-day party or something like that. One time my sister was here visiting with her toddler and at the grocery store she showed me how most of the major brands of apple juice had “Made in China” or some phrase like that on the bottle. I thought she was joking but we looked and she was right. It is sometimes very hard to find the text, but it’s there. It’s the concentrate that they are importing for the juice. She bought a brand that specifically says it’s 100% from the USA. I was really shocked by this…. Now I pay closer attention.
Kate commented on Sep 16 11 at 2:52 pmLuckily for me, we have a huge juice company right here in town (SunRype) that uses local fruit. Phew.
Linda, t.o.o. commented on Sep 17 11 at 10:33 pmWhy won’t Babble allow me to post about apple juice? LOL.
Wes Sabi commented on Sep 19 11 at 9:55 amThe US market simply cannot produce enough apples to supply the demand. China grows almost 50% of the world’s apples while the US grows about 11%.
debra commented on Sep 19 11 at 12:41 pmDr Oz is 100% right. I applaud him for bringing this out in the open! My boyfriend worked at a plant & saw with his own eyes drums of Apple Juice that said MADE IN CHINA. Totally trust what he says before the government. The track record of EVERYTHING made in China is terrible, from pet food that caused all the deaths, to baby formula. Wake up people, China’s trying to kill us by making cheap goods with lead in them, and adding arsenic & melamine to food. It’s time the USA brings manufacturing BACK so that we don’t make China rich anymore, create jobs & actually have the quality foods WE deserve!
slayerwulfe commented on Sep 19 11 at 10:21 pmI have some apple trees(plus peach, plum, apricot, pear.) where me and my girlfriend live, some of these trees 40 yrs old, the apples are really wormy she uses some of them mostly we leave them for what animals come by. What I don’t understand, to Dr Oz if this organic arsenic is so dangerous why does it not kill the little worms that are not only ingesting it but soaking in it.
slayerwulfe commented on Sep 19 11 at 10:29 pmComments that show concern as to country of origin for apple juice are a mystery to me, do some of you actually believe that apples grown in the U.S. do not contain any arsenic, but Chinese apples are ‘ripe’ with it, where is the intelligent in our country???
Malinda commented on Sep 21 11 at 1:42 pmAbout a year ago, I started looking at labels much more closely. And, truly for me, it’s not about who to trust Dr. Oz or the FDA but who not to trust. And, I just don’t trust China. There is not a high value put on their own people’s lives, so why should any value be put on American lives?
I just found your blog and thought you did one of the best jobs summing up the whole situation. Thanks1
Add your take:
Note: Babble is a supportive, diverse community. We encourage a range of opinions,
but any unduly hostile comments will be removed.
Comments are delayed up to 15 minutes
Lori Garcia 
Joslyn Gray 
Amber Doty 
Julianna Miner 
Monica Bielanko 
Sierra Black 
Meredith Carroll 
Carolyn Castiglia 
Sunny Chanel 
Madeline Holler 
Rebecca Odes 
Danielle Smith 
Danielle Sullivan 
Katherine Stone 
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.
9