The federal Food and Drug Administration could eventually reduce the amount of naturally occurring sugar required in pasteurized orange juice following the filing of a bill Tuesday by Republican Sen. Marco Rubio from Florida.
The measure would direct the FDA to lower the required level of sugar, known as the Brix standard, in not-from-concentrate pasteurized orange juice from 10.5% to 10%.
Since 1963, the Brix standard has been in effect and has not been modified. Meanwhile, growers have been struggling to keep levels high at a time when sugar levels have been declining because of groves infected by the HLB disease, also known as citrus greening.
When juice processors cannot source FDA Brix standard oranges for juice, they look to imports to blend citrus fruits to gain FDA requirements for the not-from-concentrate orange juice label.
Concentrated orange juice is not impacted by the bill but growers do not get paid as much for fruit used in concentrates.
"Citrus fruit juices contain a large number of soluble constituents, chiefly sugars, with smaller amounts of organic acids, vitamins, proteins, free amino acids, essential oils, and glucosides. Other compounds are also present in minute quantities," according to a 1995 UF/IFAS publication titled, "Quality Tests for Florida Citrus." Approximately 85% of the total soluble solids (or Brix) are sugars, the publication said.
The bill, which sponsors called the Defending Domestic Orange Juice Production Act, will go through the committee process before the full House and Senate votes on the measure.
The bill would change federal regulations for "finished pasteurized orange juice to contain not less than 10 percent by weight of orange juice soluble solids, exclusive of the solids of any added optional sweetening ingredients," it said.
Pound solids is the standard measure Florida processors use to pay growers. It represents the amount of juice with a certain sugar level squeezed from the fruit.
According to Fred Gmitter at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, “HLB has made it virtually impossible on an industrywide basis to meet those higher Brix values, to be able to sell their juice.
“As a result, the juice companies have relied more on blending imported juice with higher Brix to meet the standard," he said. "Lowering the standard will enable more Florida produced OJ, and less imported OJ, to be blended to meet the market standard.”
Rubio also said the Brix standard was hurting Florida orange growers while boosting imports.
“Forcing the orange juice industry to import and mix juice from foreign oranges to meet an arbitrary FDA standard would mean the end of Florida orange juice,” Rubio said in a statement via email.
“This common sense bill will provide relief to Florida citrus growers and processors who have faced challenges in recent years due to disease and hurricanes, and allow them to continue marketing Florida orange juice,” he said.
According to Matt Joyner, executive vice president and CEO at Florida Citrus Mutual in Bartow, the 0.5 percentage point reduction in sugar level is not significant enough to affect consumer tastes and provides similar nutritional value.
“We have worked with the FDA to show them that ... from a nutritional standpoint, this is the same healthy product,” he said.
“You can maybe argue with less sugar, you know, in today’s environment maybe mother nature is giving us a less sugary product that they will also still enjoy.” Joyner said.
"We know from a consumer preference standpoint reducing 10.5 there is really not a detection that we are aware of in that quality,” he said.
Joyner also said the bill had strong bipartisan support from Congressional leaders in Florida for an industry that has been struggling lately. Rubio and Rick Scott, Florida's other Republican senator, were the original Senate co-sponsors.
“Florida’s citrus growers work incredibly hard to make sure American families can drink delicious, fresh from Florida orange juice,” Scott said in an email.
“Unfortunately, growers across our state have faced hardship in recent years due to crop disease and severe weather. I'm proud to join Senator Rubio to introduce legislation which thoughtfully amends citrus standards, keeps healthy Florida orange juice on the shelves and supports the needs of our citrus growers.”
In the House, Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart from Florida's 25th congressional district co-sponsored the bill with Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Shultz from Florida's 23rd congressional district.
A large portion of Florida’s orange crop is produced in Polk, Desoto, Highlands and Hendry counties. Until recently, Polk County led the state in juice production.
In June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicted the final citrus crop for the 2021-22 season would be about 44.75 million boxes. That would be the lowest yield since 43.995 million boxes were harvested in the 1939-1940 season.
Urbanization, hurricanes, imports and citrus greening — a devastating bacterial disease infecting most citrus trees in Florida — are blamed for sharp declines in citrus production.
Two decades ago, the industry produced 230 million boxes of oranges — 287.2 million boxes of citrus in all — the current season would be the smallest amount since 40.87 million boxes were produced in the 1937-38 season.
Hmmm.... arbitrary government standards causing problems? Say it ain't so, @Joes Place !
The measure would direct the FDA to lower the required level of sugar, known as the Brix standard, in not-from-concentrate pasteurized orange juice from 10.5% to 10%.
Since 1963, the Brix standard has been in effect and has not been modified. Meanwhile, growers have been struggling to keep levels high at a time when sugar levels have been declining because of groves infected by the HLB disease, also known as citrus greening.
When juice processors cannot source FDA Brix standard oranges for juice, they look to imports to blend citrus fruits to gain FDA requirements for the not-from-concentrate orange juice label.
Concentrated orange juice is not impacted by the bill but growers do not get paid as much for fruit used in concentrates.
"Citrus fruit juices contain a large number of soluble constituents, chiefly sugars, with smaller amounts of organic acids, vitamins, proteins, free amino acids, essential oils, and glucosides. Other compounds are also present in minute quantities," according to a 1995 UF/IFAS publication titled, "Quality Tests for Florida Citrus." Approximately 85% of the total soluble solids (or Brix) are sugars, the publication said.
The bill, which sponsors called the Defending Domestic Orange Juice Production Act, will go through the committee process before the full House and Senate votes on the measure.
The bill would change federal regulations for "finished pasteurized orange juice to contain not less than 10 percent by weight of orange juice soluble solids, exclusive of the solids of any added optional sweetening ingredients," it said.
Pound solids is the standard measure Florida processors use to pay growers. It represents the amount of juice with a certain sugar level squeezed from the fruit.
According to Fred Gmitter at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, “HLB has made it virtually impossible on an industrywide basis to meet those higher Brix values, to be able to sell their juice.
“As a result, the juice companies have relied more on blending imported juice with higher Brix to meet the standard," he said. "Lowering the standard will enable more Florida produced OJ, and less imported OJ, to be blended to meet the market standard.”
Rubio also said the Brix standard was hurting Florida orange growers while boosting imports.
“Forcing the orange juice industry to import and mix juice from foreign oranges to meet an arbitrary FDA standard would mean the end of Florida orange juice,” Rubio said in a statement via email.
“This common sense bill will provide relief to Florida citrus growers and processors who have faced challenges in recent years due to disease and hurricanes, and allow them to continue marketing Florida orange juice,” he said.
According to Matt Joyner, executive vice president and CEO at Florida Citrus Mutual in Bartow, the 0.5 percentage point reduction in sugar level is not significant enough to affect consumer tastes and provides similar nutritional value.
“We have worked with the FDA to show them that ... from a nutritional standpoint, this is the same healthy product,” he said.
“You can maybe argue with less sugar, you know, in today’s environment maybe mother nature is giving us a less sugary product that they will also still enjoy.” Joyner said.
"We know from a consumer preference standpoint reducing 10.5 there is really not a detection that we are aware of in that quality,” he said.
Joyner also said the bill had strong bipartisan support from Congressional leaders in Florida for an industry that has been struggling lately. Rubio and Rick Scott, Florida's other Republican senator, were the original Senate co-sponsors.
“Florida’s citrus growers work incredibly hard to make sure American families can drink delicious, fresh from Florida orange juice,” Scott said in an email.
“Unfortunately, growers across our state have faced hardship in recent years due to crop disease and severe weather. I'm proud to join Senator Rubio to introduce legislation which thoughtfully amends citrus standards, keeps healthy Florida orange juice on the shelves and supports the needs of our citrus growers.”
In the House, Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart from Florida's 25th congressional district co-sponsored the bill with Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Shultz from Florida's 23rd congressional district.
A large portion of Florida’s orange crop is produced in Polk, Desoto, Highlands and Hendry counties. Until recently, Polk County led the state in juice production.
In June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicted the final citrus crop for the 2021-22 season would be about 44.75 million boxes. That would be the lowest yield since 43.995 million boxes were harvested in the 1939-1940 season.
Urbanization, hurricanes, imports and citrus greening — a devastating bacterial disease infecting most citrus trees in Florida — are blamed for sharp declines in citrus production.
Two decades ago, the industry produced 230 million boxes of oranges — 287.2 million boxes of citrus in all — the current season would be the smallest amount since 40.87 million boxes were produced in the 1937-38 season.
Lawmakers from Florida seek to change FDA rules for sugar levels in juice oranges
Rubio seeks FDA change to FDA rules for citrus sugar levels in oranges for juice
www.theledger.com
Hmmm.... arbitrary government standards causing problems? Say it ain't so, @Joes Place !
