Did you notice a new sign in the juice aisle? What the heck is Prop 65 and What can I do about it?

I was cruising down the Juice Aisle at the grocery store today.
I had a few Buy 1 Get 1 Free coupons that are due to expire this week, so I was checking to see if there was anything on sale. There wasn't. And it always better to let a good coupon expire, than it is to waste money using a good coupon.

While perusing, I noticed an alarming sign. It was a notice titled California Prop 65 Notification.
All juices containing grape or apple juice have high levels of lead.



I, of course, went home and did what anyone would do.  I googled it.

In 1986, California passed a law for the minimal amount of lead allowed in fruit juice.
Recent testing found that 85% of juices FAILED this test.
It did not matter if they were convention or organic either.
The companies were given 60 days to comply or the sign was going up.
Nobody complied and so now they must all give reasonable notice to consumers that their products contain lead.

How very disheartening.

Here is a list compiled by Jasmin Malik Chua writing for Inhabitots.com of all the offending Juice Brands:

Juices that Contain High Lead

I would try to keep these items down to a minimum if you must buy them at all.
I would also suggest considering buying a juicer and making your own juices.
Or getting the kids used to flavored waters, like adding a lemon or a few raspberries.

(yes yes, I know the pic is of orange juice and we are talking about apples and grapes. It's a stock photo. We will all survive. And a lovely thank you to freeimages.co.uk for the OJ)