Health Ministry Monitoring Orange Juice From Brazil

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 14 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Health will ensure that orange juice imported from Brazil is not contaminated with carbendazim residue, a type of fungicide.
Its deputy minister, Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin based on Schedule 16, Rule 41 of the Food Regulations 1985, carbendazim is not allowed in orange juice in the country.
"However, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, carbendazim residue in orange juice up to the level of 80 parts perbilion does not pose public health risk," she said in a statement here Saturday.
She was commenting on a report yesterday that Coca-Cola Co. had alerted U.S. federal regulators about low levels of fungicide in its own orange juice and in competitors' juice, prompting increased government testing for the residue.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration 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.
Most orange juice products made by Coke and other companies in the U.S contain a blend of juice from different sources including Brazil.
Carbendazim is used to combat mould on orange trees in Brazil.
Rosnah said Malaysia imported 2.775 tonnes of orange juice worth about RM15 million from Brazil since 2010 but did not import oranges from the country during the period.