THE Federal Government has been urged to tighten procedures on imported citrus juice after a chemical residue scare in the US.
The US Food and Drug Administration this month halted imports of foreign orange juice and began testing for the presence of residue from the fungicide, carbendazim.
The tests were ordered after advice from Coca-Cola, which owns the Minute Maid brand, that some Brazilian growers had sprayed their trees with the chemical and their testing had found residues, albeit below the maximum allowable levels.
Citrus Australia chief executive Judith Damiani said carbendazim was withdrawn from use in the Australian citrus industry more than two years ago.
Concern about a ban on imports to the US last week sent the price of orange juice futures to their highest level since March 2007.
