Testing of Orange Juice for Fungicide May Continue Through July

A U.S. policy of temporarily holding imported orange juice while samples are tested for a banned fungicide may remain in place for as long as half a year, the Food and Drug Administration said.

Twenty-eight samples of orange juice products taken at the border await test findings after three units of orange juice from Canada showed no measurable amounts of the chemical carbendazim last week. Tests take as long as five days to complete when no carbendazim is found. If results are inconclusive, another seven days may be needed for additional analysis, said Siobhan DeLancey, an agency spokeswoman, in an interview.