News Releases

American Beverage Association Statement About Benzene

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE      
July 13, 2007 
               
Contacts:
Tracey Halliday
(202) 463-6718              

Jennifer Tzitzon 
(202) 463-6705

                            AMERICAN BEVERAGE ASSOCIATION STATEMENT ABOUT BENZENE

WASHINGTON – After another review of certain beverages for the presence of benzene, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has once again found no public health concern. This is the latest in a series of reviews by the FDA, all of which have concluded that even when trace amounts of benzene were found in a very small number of products there was no threat to public health.

Still, the beverage industry has worked closely with the FDA to monitor products and develop guidelines for minimizing the potential formation of benzene in particular soft drinks. And many companies have reformulated the small number of affected products to minimize even trace amounts of benzene forming.

It’s important for the public to understand that benzene is ubiquitous to the environment – it’s in the air we breathe and many of the common foods we eat, including bananas, avocados, cheese, eggs and ground beef. In fact, it is estimated that 95 percent of the human exposure to benzene is from breathing, not from foods or beverages.

Our industry remains dedicated to minimizing the potential formation of benzene in particular soft drinks. Last summer, working with the FDA, the beverage industry produced the American Beverage Association Guidance Document to Mitigate the Potential for Benzene Formation in Beverages. We are taking advantage of modern technology and communication tools to make sure the best practices are shared throughout our industry worldwide.

The beverage industry’s foremost commitment is to its valued consumers. We are an industry whose consumers invite us into their lives billions of times a day throughout the world. Our top priority will always be to ensure the quality and safety of our products through rigorous food safety procedures.

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The American Beverage Association is the trade association representing the broad spectrum of companies that manufacture and distribute non-alcoholic beverages in the United States.

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