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Cheap Wines Chock-Full of Arsenic: Lawsuit
NBC Bay Area ^ | 3/20

Posted on 03/20/2015 12:57:42 PM PDT by nickcarraway

The wines named in the lawsuit are primarily inexpensive white or blush varietals including moscato, pinot grigio and sauvignon blanc.

Many popular, inexpensive brands of wine made and distributed in California, including Trader Joe's famed "Two Buck Chuck," contain illegal and dangerously high levels of poisonous inorganic arsenic, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles.

Plaintiffs Doris Charles, Alvin Jones, Jason Peltier and Jennifer Peltier allege in their complaint that dozens of wineries are violating state law by knowingly producing, marketing and selling arsenic contaminated wine and failing to warn consumers about the potential danger. The suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, is seeking class-action status.

Some of the popular wine brands named in the lawsuit include Franzia, Menage a Trois, Sutter Home, Wine Cube, Charles Shaw, Glen Ellen, Cupcake, Beringer and Vendage. The wines named in the lawsuit are primarily inexpensive white or blush varietals including moscato, pinot grigio and sauvignon blanc. A spokesperson for Trader Joe's said the chain is looking into the allegations.

"We take these concerns seriously and are investigating the matter with several of our wine-producing suppliers," Trader Joe's spokeswoman Rachel Broderick told NBC4. One other defendant named in the lawsuit, Treasury Wines, told CBS News that it was "fully compliant with all relevant federal and state guidelines," according to published reports. "These wineries have long known about the serious health risks their products pose to customers,'' plaintiffs' attorney Brian Kabateck said. "Yet instead of reducing the exposure to acceptable levels, the defendants recklessly engage in a pattern and practice of selling arsenic-tainted wine to California consumers."

The suit seeks unspecified damages and a court order directing the wineries to correct the alleged poor practices.

Arsenic is an odorless, colorless and highly toxic poison known to cause illness and death when ingested. Some of the long-term health effects of arsenic exposure include various types of cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, medical experts say.

The 28 California wineries accused in the lawsuit "produce and market wines that contain dangerously high levels of inorganic arsenic, in some cases up to 500 percent or more than what is considered the maximum acceptable safe daily intake limit," the lawsuit alleges.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Food
KEYWORDS: alvinjones; arsenic; beringer; california; charlesshaw; cupcake; dorischarles; franzia; glenellen; health; jasonpeltier; jenniferpeltier; menageatrois; sutterhome; traderjoe; traderjoes; twobuckchuck; vendage; wine; winecube
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To: posterchild

Is it naturally occurring in the soil where the grapes are grown? —

Interesting.

Fancy grape growers brag about their soil, and some about lack of water that makes the grapes struggle (and probably concentrates the As).


21 posted on 03/20/2015 1:13:33 PM PDT by Scrambler Bob (an icon of resistance within the oppressed patriots, who represent resilience in the face of SSV)
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To: nickcarraway

22 posted on 03/20/2015 1:14:14 PM PDT by Larry Lucido
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To: nickcarraway

Was the arsenic introduced through the use of pesticides and herbicides on the grapes?


23 posted on 03/20/2015 1:15:11 PM PDT by hawkaw
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To: CodeJockey

The so called killer arsenic levels come from recycled bottles.

Some body with a poor quality two buck Obozo wine, wants to sell it for $25/bottle and are paying for this lawsuit.

They may need deep pockets by the time big wineries go after them.


24 posted on 03/20/2015 1:18:31 PM PDT by Grampa Dave (When will Sisi, Bibi, King Abdullah & ?, take out Isis in our White House, AG Dept, CIA, & State?)
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To: Army Air Corps

LOL! Funny!


25 posted on 03/20/2015 1:23:31 PM PDT by matginzac
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To: nickcarraway

From the seeds? A lot of fruit seeds contain arsenic.


26 posted on 03/20/2015 1:23:38 PM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
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To: nickcarraway

The class action suit for California only:

https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/f0533877/files/uploaded/Summons_Complaint.pdf

BTW, I read that Brussell sprouts and Salmon contain arsenic. I see no reason why a nice glass of arsenic won’t pair well.


27 posted on 03/20/2015 1:23:41 PM PDT by 1_Rain_Drop
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To: Grampa Dave

So box winos are in the clear?


28 posted on 03/20/2015 1:24:24 PM PDT by txhurl
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

“Improvements in GC/Mass-Spec instrumentation has made 50 parts per billion detectable, but that doesn’t mean it’s harmful. “

The pre-2006 limit for water supply companies was 50 ppb, then to 10 ppb. Much of our ground water exceeds 10 ppb.


29 posted on 03/20/2015 1:24:26 PM PDT by TexasGator
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To: Zeneta

So, how did she react when you brought home cheap red wine when she only asked for the cheap white wine?


30 posted on 03/20/2015 1:25:07 PM PDT by exDemMom (Current visual of the hole the US continues to dig itself into: http://www.usdebtclock.org/)
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To: posterchild

“Is it naturally occurring in the soil where the grapes are grown?”

If the wineries are using their own wells, it could be from the water.


31 posted on 03/20/2015 1:26:18 PM PDT by TexasGator
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To: Larry Lucido

Cue up Neil Diamond on the turntable...


32 posted on 03/20/2015 1:26:50 PM PDT by Eric in the Ozarks ("If he were working for the other side, what would he be doing differently ?")
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To: txhurl

“So box winos are in the clear?”

For now.

One of our wine making friends said that you would have to great 4=6 liters of wine per day for a long time period before having toxic problems.

Of course if you drink that much wine per day, you wouldn’t know nor care if you were having problems.


33 posted on 03/20/2015 1:27:48 PM PDT by Grampa Dave (When will Sisi, Bibi, King Abdullah & ?, take out Isis in our White House, AG Dept, CIA, & State?)
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To: exDemMom

Soo, I was smart enough to only buy the white wine.

It was pretty funny in the end.


34 posted on 03/20/2015 1:28:02 PM PDT by Zeneta (Thoughts in time and out of season.)
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To: 1_Rain_Drop

“I just want to know if peloosi’s vineyard or wine is involved.”

Excellent question. Apparently, strict enviro laws for other vineyards/wineriesdidn’t apply to her vineyard until the reality got on the internet, years ago.


35 posted on 03/20/2015 1:29:59 PM PDT by Grampa Dave (When will Sisi, Bibi, King Abdullah & ?, take out Isis in our White House, AG Dept, CIA, & State?)
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To: nickcarraway

Glad I make my own. They put crap in everything!


36 posted on 03/20/2015 1:30:25 PM PDT by W. (Democrats + their media stooges wanted the US out of Vietnam so the Communists would win!)
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To: nickcarraway

Looks like those folk rumors back in the day about arsenic in Annie Greensprings, Ripple, and Boones Farm weren’t too far off the mark!


37 posted on 03/20/2015 1:31:20 PM PDT by catnipman (Cat Nipman: Vote Republican in 2012 and only be called racist one more time!)
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; cardinal4; ColdOne; ...
Doris Charles, Alvin Jones, Jason Peltier, Jennifer Peltier
who are just positive that 1) these wines are all contaminated, and 2) that the properous retailer has known all about it. Follow the shakedown trail!
38 posted on 03/20/2015 1:33:35 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (What do we want? REGIME CHANGE! When do we want it? NOW!)
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To: BenLurkin

Menage et Tois makes a pretty good blend. I’m surprised that they’re listed.


39 posted on 03/20/2015 1:34:23 PM PDT by nikos1121
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To: nickcarraway

Hmmm. Is it REALLY JUST “cheap” wines? And if so, why would “cheap” wines have more arsenic?


40 posted on 03/20/2015 1:37:10 PM PDT by catnipman (Cat Nipman: Vote Republican in 2012 and only be called racist one more time!)
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