BOYCOTTS: Grapefruit’s Sour Rap

The most serious case people usually make against grapefruit is that it’s a bit too tart. But last week consumer groups in South Korea launched a boycott of U.S. grapefruit because they believe the produce is contaminated with Alar, a chemical preservative and suspected carcinogen that has been used by apple processors.

The South Korean protest was triggered when a test requested by consumer groups showed the Alar content of U.S. grapefruit to be 0.5 parts per million or less. But since the lab equipment was not accurate enough to measure below that level, this was “equivalent to a finding of no Alar,” says Dan Gunter, executive director of Florida’s department of citrus. Says he: “Alar is not used on grapefruit.” The Korean government declared U.S. grapefruit safe, but American growers fear the sour taste may linger.