Is Mott's Apple Juice Contaminated With Arsenic?

Two advocacy groups -- Empire State Consumer Project and Food & Water Watch -- are pointing a collective finger at Mott's apple juice, alleging that it's contaminated with more arsenic than the Environmental Protection Agency allows. The Empire State Consumer Project tested several brands of applesauce and apple juice, and a Mott's Apple Juice sample came back with 55 parts per billion of arsenic -- over five times the amount that the EPA permits for drinking water.

The advocacy groups want the Food and Drug Administration to place limits on the amount of allowable toxic substances in beverages, especially beverages that kids drink. U.S. pesticides don't contain arsenic, but some in China do, and F&WW points out that two-thirds of the apple juice in the U.S. comes from China. Experts are careful to caution, however, that it's impossible to completely avoid arsenic in our food and water supply.