11:15 pm - 09/15/2011
Dr. Oz vs Apple Juice
Dr. Oz accused of fear-mongering on apple juice
Arsenic in apple juice! Fed to babies! And it probably came from China! Television's Dr. Mehmet Oz is under fire from the FDA and others for sounding what they say is a false alarm about the dangers of apple juice.
Oz, one of TV's most popular medical experts, said on his show Wednesday that testing by a New Jersey lab had found what he suggested were troubling levels of arsenic in many brands of juice. The Food and Drug Administration said "There is no evidence of any public health risk from drinking these juices. And FDA has been testing them for years," the agency said in a statement.
The flap escalated Thursday, when Oz's former medical school classmate Dr. Richard Besser lambasted him on ABC's "Good Morning America" show for what Besser called an "extremely irresponsible" report that was akin to "yelling `Fire!' in a movie theater."
Tests of the same batch conducted by two different food testing labs for the juice's maker, Nestle USA, which sells Juicy Juice under the Gerber brand, also found levels consistent with the FDA results.
The FDA also sent a letter in advance to the show and threatened to post its findings and the letters online if the program proceeded. Oz went ahead.
"American apple juice is made from apple concentrate, 60 percent of which is imported from China," the website version of his report says. "Other countries may use pesticides that contain arsenic, a heavy metal known to cause cancer."
A rep for the show said "The position of the show is that the total arsenic needs to be lower," he said. "We did the tests. We stand by the results and we think the standards should be different."
In an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, even Oz said he wouldn't hesitate to keep giving his four children apple juice.
xxx
Everyone knows that the FDA is a huge joke. It's no surprise that they're denying a problem, especially when a huge company like Nestle is under attack. Levels being "consistent" with FDA regulations does NOT mean that it's safe.
Arsenic in apple juice! Fed to babies! And it probably came from China! Television's Dr. Mehmet Oz is under fire from the FDA and others for sounding what they say is a false alarm about the dangers of apple juice.
Oz, one of TV's most popular medical experts, said on his show Wednesday that testing by a New Jersey lab had found what he suggested were troubling levels of arsenic in many brands of juice. The Food and Drug Administration said "There is no evidence of any public health risk from drinking these juices. And FDA has been testing them for years," the agency said in a statement.
The flap escalated Thursday, when Oz's former medical school classmate Dr. Richard Besser lambasted him on ABC's "Good Morning America" show for what Besser called an "extremely irresponsible" report that was akin to "yelling `Fire!' in a movie theater."
Tests of the same batch conducted by two different food testing labs for the juice's maker, Nestle USA, which sells Juicy Juice under the Gerber brand, also found levels consistent with the FDA results.
The FDA also sent a letter in advance to the show and threatened to post its findings and the letters online if the program proceeded. Oz went ahead.
"American apple juice is made from apple concentrate, 60 percent of which is imported from China," the website version of his report says. "Other countries may use pesticides that contain arsenic, a heavy metal known to cause cancer."
A rep for the show said "The position of the show is that the total arsenic needs to be lower," he said. "We did the tests. We stand by the results and we think the standards should be different."
In an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, even Oz said he wouldn't hesitate to keep giving his four children apple juice.
xxx
Everyone knows that the FDA is a huge joke. It's no surprise that they're denying a problem, especially when a huge company like Nestle is under attack. Levels being "consistent" with FDA regulations does NOT mean that it's safe.
rydiachachunk 16th-Sep-2011 04:10 am (UTC)