FDA on Canadian OJ fungicide: results are negative

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday that final tests of three samples of Canadian orange juice have come back negative for the illegal fungicide carbendazim.

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An FDA spokeswoman said test results for 28 other orange juice samples from Brazil, Mexico and Canada were still pending and would not be released until next week.

U.S. authorities stopped imports of foreign orange juice and juice concentrate for testing after a U.S. juice maker found the fungicide carbendazim in orange juice from Brazil.

Carbendazim is used in Brazil to combat blossom blight and black spot, a type of mold that grows on orange trees.

In the United States, it can be used only in non-food items such as paints, textiles and ornamental trees. But U.S. authorities still allow trace amounts of carbendazim in 31 food types, including grains, nuts and some non-citrus fruits.

On Wednesday, the FDA said three batches of Canadian orange juice had proved negative for the chemical in preliminary test results. Now that the results have been confirmed, shipments connected with those samples will be allowed to enter the United States, the FDA spokeswoman said.