If you’re a parent, chances are you buy a lot of juice, particularly apple juice. Chances are, you buy familiar brands that often boast a lot of marketing language like “all natural,” “made in the USA” and even “organic.” You probably wouldn’t buy an apple juice that bears the label, “Exceeds the daily safe dose of lead in every serving,” but according to a new research study, that may be exactly what you’re getting.

The Environmental Law Foundation, an Oakland, California-based environmental nonprofit, recently conducted a study in conjunction with an EPA-certified lab, testing about 400 samples of 146 products marketed toward children, including apple and grape juices, fruit baby foods and packaged pears, peaches and fruit cocktail. Now, here’s the scary part: 125 out of 146 products (over 85 percent) tested positive for lead – enough lead in a single serving to exceed limits set by California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (casually known as Prop 65).

Prop 65 includes a list of chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive harm. Lead (a neurotoxin which can cause both) is near the top of the list. Any consumer product containing more than 0.5 micrograms of lead per serving is considered a “significant risk,” and manufacturers and retailers selling the product must provide “clear and reasonable warning” to consumers.

Which, needless to say, none of the manufacturers of the fruit and juice products found to be in violation have done.

As a result, on June 9, 2010, the Environmental Law Foundation filed Notices of Violation of California Proposition 65 Toxics Right to Know law, including the results of their testing revealing that lead was present to an unacceptable degree in at least some samples of certain brands of juices, baby food and fruit products. The organization also officially notified the CEOs of companies whose juice products exceeded lead limits. (You can find that notification here.)

UMass Amherst toxicologist Barbara G. Callahan called the lead concentrations in the ELF test results “alarming.” There is no “safe” level of exposure to lead. Lead accumulates in the body from multiple sources: food and water, handling items contaminated with lead and even via inhalation, but it’s especially harmful to children. Said Callahan, “Lead exposure among children is a particular concern because their developing bodies absorb lead at a higher rate and because children are particularly sensitive to lead’s toxic effects, including decreased I.Q.”

Apple juices sold in the U.S. are not uncommonly prepared from apple juice concentrate sourced in China, Brazil or other countries. While the source of the contaminated products in the ELF study has not yet been identified, there have been safety fears in the past regarding juice products sourced in countries that may not have rigorous testing processes in place. China produces 65 percent of the world’s apples, and as much as 40 percent of the apple juice sold in the U.S. is made from concentrate produced in China. Only 22 percent of apple juice in the U.S. is from domestic apples. (U.S. apple growers claim it is more profitable to sell apples for produce than juice.)

Popular brands such as Motts, Tree Top, Welch’s and Tropicana all use apple juice concentrate from China, as do many store brands and, surprisingly, companies that market their juices as “organic.” (Tropicana is owned by PepsiCo.; Motts is owned by Cadbury-Schweppes.) To discover the source country of juices, check the bottle (not the label) of many juice products, and you’ll find the country (or countries) of origin stamped via an inkjet process on the plastic itself.

The FAQ section of the Web site of the U.S. Apple Association states that, “Apple juice concentrate has been safely imported into the U.S. from countries including China, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and a number of countries in the European Union for more than 30 years without any reported food safety incident.”

Guess there’s always got to be a first time.

– Tracey Schelmetic

You can find a full list of the “dirty” and “clean” products, including grape juices, baby foods and packaged fruits here.

These are the apple juice products in which one or more samples tested exceeded Prop 65 limits:

Beech Nut 100% Apple Juice

Earth’s Best Organics Apple Juice

First Street 100% Apple Cider from concentrate

First Street Apple Juice from concentrate 100% juice

Full Circle Organic Apple Juice

Gerber 100% Juice Apple Juice

Great Value 100% No Sugar Added Apple Juice

Hansen’s Natural Apple Juice

Kroger 100% Juice Apple Juice

Langers Apple Juice 100% Juice

Minute Maid Juice Apple – 100% Apple Juice

Motts 100% Apple Juice

O Organics Organic Unfiltered Apple Juice Not From Concentrate

Old Orchard 100% Apple Juice

Parade 100% Juice Apple

Raley’s Premium 100% Apple Juice not from Concentrate

Safeway 100% Juice Apple Cider

Safeway 100% Juice Apple Juice

Stater Bros. 100% Juice Apple Juice

Sunny Select 100% Apple Juice

Trader Joe’s Certified Organic Apple Juice, pasteurized

Tree Top 100% Juice Apple Cider

Walgreens Apple Juice from concentrate 100% juice

Walnut Grove Market 100% Apple Juice

The following brands were CLEAN of lead in all samples tested:

Great Value 100% Apple Juice not from concentrate

Harvest Day 100% Apple Juice from Concentrate

Kirkland Fresh Pressed Apple Juice Pasteurized

Martinelli’s Gold Medal Apple Juice 100% pure from US grown fresh apples

R.W. Knudsen Organic Apple Juice unfiltered

Raley’s Everyday 100% Apple Juice

Sunny Select 100% Unfiltered Apple Juice

Trader Joe’s Fresh Pressed Apple Juice all natural pasteurized, 100% juice

Tree Top 100% Apple Juice

Tree Top Three Apple Blend 100% Fresh Pressed Juice

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