What's In Your Food- Fungicide In Orange Juice

Reposted From: January 12, 2012

You already may have or may not have heard that...

* FDA finds fungicide in orange juice imports

* FDA To Hold Orange Juice Imports For Testing

By coincidence I was just mentioning to someone a few weeks ago that store bought orange juice undergoes modification through processing. Even if it is not made from concentrate the juice is first deoxygenated then modified flavorings are added. In addition the juice contains higher sugar fructose levels then would be found in nature.

That's why I was proud that we buy only pure untouched Florida oranges by the bag. We squeeze our own juice in our juicer appliance. What could be more pure then that!Oh my, if only life were simple :-(Take a look at the label on our bag of "Ocean Spray" "Cara Cara" oranges..

lac based wax or resin-- "shellac (the “lac-based” resin referred to in the sign), and carnauba wax are by far the most commonly used. Shellac is a secretion of the lac bug, which is found in Thailand and India."

Thiabendazole-- "Mostly used post-harvest as a dip or spray on citrus fruits.. used to control a variety of fruit and vegetable diseases such as mold"

Ortho Phenyl Phenol-- "Used in agriculture to control fungal and bacterial growth on stored crops.. is applied topically to the crop and then rinsed off, leaving the chemical residue, OPP. Most agricultural food applications have been revoked, but OPP and SOPP are still used on pears and citrus (U.S. EPA, 2006)."

Imazalil-- "A systemic fungicide for post harvest use"The last three not only are considered fungicides but pesticides as well.So much for what I would consider 100% unadulterated.

Guess I'm spoiled because when my late uncle lived in Florida he would bring us a basket full of oranges from his unsprayed tree in his back yard. Twice as large. Twice as juicy too. It also explains why we had to use them up in about a week. Much like homegrown tomatoes which age quickly while the store bought ones can sit on the counter for three weeks w/o spoiling.

Growing up we had apricot, peach, cherry and pear trees in the yard. None were sprayed and made great snacks when I was playing outside as a kid. My how times have changed. The question is.. is there any meat, fruit or vegetable remaining that hasn't been tampered with?I was speaking rhetorically.
I already know the answer.


Speaking of which.. "Maria's Farm Country Kitchen" blog posted...
The Top 10 Reasons to Avoid Processed Foods

And we eat this stuff!