Great Value apple juice sold at Walmart in 25 states recalled due to arsenic content

BENTONVILLE, Arkansas (KNWA/KFTA) – Walmart is recalling nearly 10,000 cases of apple juice because of potentially dangerous levels of arsenic, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

The recall involves Nice Worth brand apple juice, sold in six-packs of 8-ounce bottles. The recall was initiated on August 15, but the FDA upgraded it to a more urgent (Class II) recall on Friday.

According to the FDA, Class II recalls are issued when a product could cause adverse health effects that are temporary and not likely to result in serious medical problems.

The recalled juices have a UPC code of 0-78742-29655-5 and a best-before date of December 28, 2024.

They were offered at Walmart locations in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia.

According to the FDA, the juices were found to contain arsenic at 13.2 parts per billion. Last year, the FDA issued guidelines for apple juice that it should not contain more than 10 parts per billion.

What is arsenic?

Arsenic is a naturally occurring mineral that can be toxic to humans, according to the FDA. The agency explained that the risk of long-term adverse health effects from eating foods contaminated with arsenic depends on several factors, including the arsenic content of the food, the age of the consumer and the frequency of exposure.

According to the National Institutes of Health, very small amounts of both inorganic and organic arsenic are present in most foods. Testing is done routinely because slightly elevated levels of either type can cause symptoms such as vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, numbness, and muscle cramps.

Inorganic arsenic is more toxic to humans than the naturally occurring form of the mineral arsenic, and the health consequences of exposure are more severe, according to the FDA. The Environmental Protection Agency has classified inorganic arsenic as a carcinogen, a substance that causes cancer.

The levels found in the recalled apple juice bottles are so low that the FDA does not believe they have such serious health consequences.

The Related Press contributed to this story.