The world's largest American wholesale and retail chain Walmart announced the recall of almost 10,000 cases of bottled apple juice after high levels of arsenic were found, the Associated Press (AP) agency reported.
According to the announcement, such a product “may temporarily cause negative health effects”. We're talking about Great Value apple juice, which was sold in 25 states and the District of Columbia.
„We have removed this product from our stores and are investigating what happened to the supplier,” Walmart spokeswoman Molly Blakeman said. The juice manufacturer is Refresco Beverages US Inc. headquartered in Florida.
According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, many foods contain very low levels of inorganic and organic arsenic. Elevated levels can cause symptoms such as vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, numbness and muscle cramps, the agency notes.
According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), inorganic arsenic is more toxic to humans than the natural form of mineral arsenic, and the health consequences of exposure are more severe. The levels found in the recalled bottles of apple juice are so low that the FDA does not expect them to cause serious health effects.