Apricot kernels carry risk of cyanide poisoning

Food safety officials say that apricot kernels marketed in New Zealand as a health food can make people sick and in high doses can be fatal.

Bitter apricot kernels are thought to contain high levels of Vitamin B17, known as laetrile, which has been described as an immune system-booster and even as a cancer treatment by some health food enthusiasts. But the seeds can cause cyanide poisoning when eaten and could be fatal in high doses.

The United Kingdom Food Standards Agency has announced it considers a safe intake to be only one to two kernels a day, and a British retailer has withdrawn from sale packs saying a safe dose would be up to 10 kernels a day.

In New Zealand, an article in a lifestyle magazine three years ago prompted a woman and her husband to buy 1kg of kernels from a health food shop. The woman had to be admitted to North Shore Hospital with cyanide poisoning after consuming 60 ground apricot kernels mixed with orange juice.

Public health authorities reported at the time that New Zealand's Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) ordered a recall on apricot kernels, but a spokeswoman for the NZFSA today denied there was any recall.

She said that about the time the woman was poisoned in Auckland, a forum made up of members of NZFSA and a trans-Tasman food standards body had discussed the possibility of regulating natural toxins, including apricot kernels, "but the group was disbanded before a decision could be made".

"There was some concern about how to regulate and the possibility of mixing the messages," she said.

One issue was whether a requirement to add a warning label against consumption of pips and kernels would hurt consumer perceptions of the fruit itself, which was healthy.

NZFSA did not recall the apricot kernels because it decided that consumer education was the best way to manage the problem.

Toxins also occurred naturally in foods such as green potatoes, kidney beans, rhubarb leaves and apple and pear seeds.

The spokeswoman said today that NZFSA was updating a natural toxins fact sheet on its website, in line with the advice from its British counterpart.

"NZFSA is concerned that retail and internet outlets in New Zealand may not be providing correct advice about the recommended maximum intake," she said.

A South Island orchard sells apricot kernels over the internet for $50/kg, and health food shops in Wellington sell imported Mexican kernels for around $10 for a 100g bag.

- NZPA