Apple juice sold at Walmart under the popular brand Great Value has been recalled due to increased arsenic levels. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updated the voluntary recall to a Class II on Friday. In the initial notice issued earlier this month, the federal agency noted that the recalled product “contains inorganic arsenic above the action level set in industry guidance.”
Walmart recalls apple juice over high levels of arsenic
9,535 cases of the eight-ounce Great Value Apple Juice sold in a six-pack with PET plastic bottles (UPC 0-78742-29655-5) have been pulled back according to the recall number F-1746-2024 issued by Refresco Beverages US Inc., located in Tampa, Florida, on August 15. The recalled products have a “best if used by” date of December 28, 2024.
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The affected products were sold in 25 states: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.
However, the recall has now been upgraded to Class II, which stands for “a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.” The recalled products were found to have inorganic arsenic levels of 13.2 parts per billion, which is in striking contrast to the accepted upper limit of 10 parts per billion.
{{/usCountry}}However, the recall has now been upgraded to Class II, which stands for “a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.” The recalled products were found to have inorganic arsenic levels of 13.2 parts per billion, which is in striking contrast to the accepted upper limit of 10 parts per billion.
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The FDA explained that exposure to high levels of arsenic in young children “is associated with adverse neurological effects such as learning disabilities, behavioural difficulties, and lowered IQ.” Meanwhile, long-term exposure to inorganic arsenic in adults is linked to “skin disorders and increased risks for skin, bladder, and lung cancers, and for cardiovascular disease.”