FDA Considering Lowering Sugar Content To Determine What Is ‘Orange Juice’

By Drew Dixon

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a proposed rule to change what qualifies as “orange juice” in response to industry requests.

The proposal still needs to be finalized, but the FDA wants to modernize regulations that would better reflect the modern orange crop.

The proposal centers on the sugar content in orange juice, or what is known as “Brix levels.” Modern citrus does not produce as much sugar as citrus did in years past. The FDA wants the measure of sugar content used to identify orange juice to go from 10.5% sugar to 10% “to better align with today’s orange crop,” according to a Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) news release.

Not only is the FCM backing the proposal, but the Florida Citrus Processors Association (FCPA) also supports it. Both groups petitioned the FDA to revise the standard that identifies liquid drink as orange juice with what they say would be appropriate Brix levels.

Those original standards were set to ensure the public is getting a product readily identifiable as orange juice. It’s unlikely that the change would significantly impact the taste of the product.

“Florida’s citrus industry and its champions have tirelessly advocated for more than three years to modernize this Brix standard, and we applaud the FDA for moving it forward,” said Kevin Koppelman, President of FCM. “Revising this regulation ensures we can maximize the state’s orange supply.”

Citrus officials credited several members of Florida’s congressional delegation — both Democrats and Republicans, including U.S. Sens. Ashley Moody and Rick Scott — for moving the issue forward.

Citrus officials say that “tree stress” and maladies such as diseases, particularly citrus greening, have led to a slow, though nominal, degradation in sugar levels in citrus grown throughout Florida. Even with those challenges, along with hurricanes and seasonal freezes, citrus still accounts for 32,000 jobs and a $6.9 billion economic impact in Florida.

Loosening up the “orange juice” designation means more use of more oranges.

“Changing the minimum Brix level for orange juice will modernize the standard to more accurately reflect the naturally occurring levels of the Florida oranges. This will allow our juice processors to more fully utilize the Florida orange crop and support the Florida citrus grower,” said Robin Bryant, Executive Director of the FCPA.