Industry Pressure Allows Banned Chemical in Imported Juice
16-Feb-2012
Independent Senator for South Australia, Nick Xenophon, has slammed Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) for back-flipping on its decision to ban the import of carbendazim-laced Brazilian orange juice concentrate.
In a letter to Senator Xenophon in January, Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, the Hon Catherine King MP, stated that orange juice concentrate containing any level of the fungicide would not be permitted to be imported into Australia after April 2012.
However in his appearance before Senate Estimates this evening, FSANZ Chief Executive Officer, Steve McCutcheon, effectively admitted that lobbying from juice processors was a key factor in forcing a last-minute "review" of this ban.
