FDA Updates 63-Year-Old Orange Juice Standards to Support Florida Citrus Industry

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has finalized changes to an outdated Standard of Identity for pasteurized orange juice, a move federal officials say will help support American citrus growers, particularly in Florida.

"Today's action proves the FDA is fully committed to putting American workers and American growers first, completely dismantling the regulatory barriers that have forced our markets to depend on foreign citrus imports," Acting FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said in a press release. "By modernizing outdated regulations, the FDA is eliminating unnecessary barriers so American farmers and manufacturers can thrive — and keeping citrus production where it belongs, right here at home."

The original Standard of Identity for pasteurized orange juice, established in 1963, required a minimum dissolved sugar content of 10.5 degrees Brix.

In recent decades, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said natural factors, including disease and environmental conditions affecting Florida's citrus groves, have reduced the natural sugar content of oranges.

According to HHS, the decline forced many American orange juice producers to import higher-sugar oranges from other countries to meet the federal standard. The agency said the requirement increased costs, contributed to higher consumer prices and reduced demand for domestically grown fruit.

Under the final rule, which took effect July 17, the FDA lowered the minimum dissolved sugar requirement from 10.5 degrees Brix to 10 degrees Brix. The rule also allows manufacturers to include up to 15% mandarin or tangerine juice in pasteurized orange juice.

"When I heard an outdated FDA rule was threatening the survival of Florida's great citrus growers, I immediately went to work — filing the Defending Domestic Orange Juice Production Act and meeting with the White House to expedite a solution," Sen. Ashley Moody said in a press release. "Today is proof that the juice was worth the squeeze. Florida's citrus farmers are an integral part of Florida's culture, and I will always fight to ensure they have the support they need to continue growing and making a living."

Moody also thanked Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., U.S. Reps. Scott Franklin, Laurel Lee and Kat Cammack, along with industry partners, for helping advance the change.

Rep. Scott Franklin called the rule change "a victory for Florida citrus growers" who have worked to keep the state's citrus industry alive despite years of challenges.