On Friday, July 17, the U.S. government approved a change to federal regulations governing pasteurized orange juice, lowering the minimum soluble solids requirement from 10.5% to 10% Brix—a move affecting producers, processors, and consumers nationwide. Brix is a scale used in the food industry to measure the amount of natural sugars and other dissolved solids in liquids like orange juice, serving as a benchmark to ensure product flavor and consistency.
The decision, announced by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), responds to pressure from the citrus industry and aims to facilitate the use of domestic fruit following years of challenges caused by disease and adverse weather conditions.
According to a statement issued by the HHS, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. formalized the measure during a meeting with local officials and industry representatives in Lakeland, Florida. The FDA noted that the new rule also increases the permissible percentage of mandarin and tangerine juice in the final blend, providing producers with greater flexibility. The update was supported by industry associations and state officials, who emphasized the urgent need to align regulations with the sector’s current realities.
The federal standard for pasteurized orange juice had been in effect since 1963. The adjustment addresses a decline in fruit sugar levels, particularly in Florida, the country’s leading producer state. Data from the Department of Agriculture (USDA) indicate that the drop in fruit production and quality has been exacerbated over the last decade by the spread of citrus greening, a bacterial disease with no effective treatment.
The change to the federal standard comes in response to a production crisis within the U.S. citrus industry. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the disease known as citrus greening (Huanglongbing) has affected millions of trees in Florida, lowering sugar levels in the fruit and causing domestic orange juice to fall below the required minimum for several seasons.
The industry, led by the Florida Citrus Processors Association and Florida Citrus Mutual, filed a formal petition to modify the standard, arguing that existing regulations did not reflect the actual composition of domestically grown fruit. An FDA statement noted that lowering the Brix minimum “will allow producers and processors to make better use of the local harvest and reduce reliance on juice imports from Brazil and other markets.”
In the official announcement, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated: “We are eliminating an outdated regulation that forced U.S. producers to rely on imports and an obsolete sugar standard. This will save more than $50 million annually and strengthen domestic supply chains.”
