The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s proposal to reduce fruit sugar content in pasteurized juices has garnered praise in Florida.
A Federal Register report, revised on August 14, 2025, proposes to bring pasteurized orange juice sweetness from 10.5º to 10º Brix.
The change will mandate processors to feature 17 grams (g) of sugar derived from oranges in each 8-oz measure, down from 18 g.
The modernization of identity in juice content standards directly stems from a 2022 petition by Florida’s citrus industry.
According to the Florida Citrus Processors Association in 2022, the Sunshine State’s average orange fruit sweetness has decreased to 9.7º Brix.
When the reigning content identity standard came up in 1963 courtesy of the FDA, state oranges boasted 11.8º Brix.
A wave of storms and citrus greening infection have gradually impacted fresh orange sugariness in America’s leading citrus state.
So severe has the reduction been that juicers have increasingly resorted to imports of blending fruits from Latin America to meet regulations.
Makes a Huge Difference
State Republican Senator Ashley Moody praised the proposal as one that will make “a HUGE difference for Florida’s citrus growers.”
Uncle Matt’s Organic juice brand in turn told Fox News that it currently attains 11.8º Brix content but still supports cuts.
For growers, this means expanding cultivation while fearing no more of compromising food safety.
The proposal echoes the “Make America Healthy Again” initiative by the Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert Kennedy Jr. Its success will signal whether Florida juices more of its signature fruit, escaping the not-always safe imports.
The public has until November 14, 2025 to air opinions on the sugar content regulation, including suggesting lower Brix levels. Support is almost given because the state’s citrus farmers supply much to the beverage industry, per the next statistics.
Florida Orange Juices Statistics
Oranges remain the most popular processing fruit in the United States, accounting for 70% of juice production. In 2021, top producer state, Florida, registered output decline, forcing the United States to import orange juice worth $362 million to cover the gap. Florida also lost its top spot in federal orange production in 2024 at 20.5 million tonnes, to California at 45.8 million tonnes. A 2017-2023 set of hurricanes and citrus greening were the main causes for declining harvests.
Is Florida still the U.S.’ biggest orange juicer?
Before the falling harvests counted, Florida accounted for 70% of orange juice origin in the United States. Besides, 90% of juice processors inside the Sunshine State got fruit supplies from within the state in the 2019-20 timeline. This was nearly 300 million solid pounds of oranges.
How much is American OJ consumption versus Florida’s production?
According to the IFAS’ Florida Citrus review, Americans used to take over 5 gallons of orange juice (OJ) per capita in the 1990s. Consumption reduced significantly to just over 2 gallons per person per year in the early 2020s. In the same timeline, Florida’s OJ production declined from over 5 gallons per capita to approximately 1 gallon.
Did Florida produce much oranges just before the decline?
As of the 2020-21 season, Florida averaged 52,950,000 boxes of oranges, leading California with its 49,000,000 boxes. A similar federal production lead happened in the 2021-22 season at 41,050,000 boxes, while California had 40,400,000 boxes. It is in the 2022-23 harvest that Florida finally lost grip, with only 20,000,000 boxes, half California’s 47,100,000 boxes. This is according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), in December 2023.