S. Korean Groups Boycott U.S. Grapefruit

South Korean consumer groups launched a nationwide boycott today against imported U.S. grapefruit, claiming that it is chemically tainted and unsafe to eat.

The U.S. Embassy and a spokesman for Florida growers who export the fruit said the boycott is another salvo in a grapefruit war that started over a huge misunderstanding.

The Citizens Alliance for Consumer Protection of Korea said 10 leading consumer groups in Seoul and 60 others around the country are not satisfied that U.S. grapefruit are safe and have launched the boycott.

Grapefruit sales have plunged. Ads placed by grapefruit importers appeared in Korean newspapers Tuesday headlined: “Grapefruit Has No Cancer-Causing Substance. We Are Sorry Consumers Have Been Worried.”

At issue is the interpretation of a Korean laboratory report that consumer advocates claimed shows Florida grapefruit contains daminozide (Alar), a suspected cancer-causing agent.

The U.S. Embassy and a citrus expert from Florida issued statements and then held a news conference June 26 to say that the scientific nature of the test was misinterpreted by laymen.

“Alar is not used on, and has never been used on grapefruit,” said Dan L. Gunter, executive director of the Florida Department of Citrus in Lakeland.

The test, performed by the government’s Agricultural Chemical Research Institute, estimated Alar at 0.5 parts per million on the peel and flesh of grapefruit. Gunter said that since the lab test could not measure below 0.5 p.p.m., the report was “equivalent to a finding of no Alar.”

A few days later the lab clarified the report and agreed that could be the case. But then consumers demanded an explanation of other chemicals used in the grapefruit.