Preventing Health Risks Associated with Drinking Unpasteurized or Untreated Juice

Though juice-related illness is rare, several outbreaks of diarrheal illness due to juice have been reported in the United States in the last decade.
Most outbreaks of illness due to juice have been linked to untreated or inadequately treated juice products, mainly pasteurization.
Some outbreaks of foodborne illness linked to juice:
• 1996: Outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections linked to untreated apple juice sold in multiple states
• 2003: Outbreak of Cryptosporidium infections linked to apple cider inadequately treated with ozone
• 2005: Outbreak of Salmonella infections linked to inadequately treated orange juice marketed as ‘fresh squeezed’ and sold in multiple states
Pasteurization kills E.coli, salmonella, and cryptosporidium. In addition to pasteurization, other treatment methods include UV irradiation, surface treatment of fruit, and high pressure treatment. Treated unpasteurized juice is safe if it has been properly processed by a proven effective treatment method such as UV irradiation.