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TIME: Almanac 1990
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1990 Time Magazine Compact Almanac, The (1991)(Time).iso
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071789
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1990-09-17
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BUSINESS, Page 77Business NotesBOYCOTTSGrapefruit'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.