Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) and federal lawmakers from Florida are pushing legislation that would direct the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to lower the required Brix level of not-from-concentrate pasteurized orange juice (OJ) from 10.5% to 10%. The change has been requested because many Florida oranges no longer produce juice that meets the 10.5% Brix requirement.
FCM Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President Matt Joyner provided an update on the effort to reduce the required Brix level for OJ. He noted that he had recently “tuned into the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill, awaiting answers on our delayed Brix petition.”
“Like you, I hoped we would get immediate answers on next the steps,” said Joyner. “Turns out, the timeline is being pushed further down the road and clear answers remain just out of reach, again.
“There is good news here, though. We are fortunate to have strong Florida leaders championing H.R. 1750, the Defending Domestic Orange Juice Production Act of 2023. Bill supporters like sponsor U.S. Rep. Scott Franklin and co-sponsors U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis, Kat Cammack, Kathy CastorandDarren Soto continue to push federal regulators to revise the Brix standard.
“During last week’s hearing, Reps. Gus Bilirakis andKat Cammack asked Jim Jones, deputy commissioner for human foods at the FDA, for answers on the next steps in publishing the proposed rule to revise the standard identity of orange juice and ease the pressure on growers and processors.
“Rep. Cammack pointed out the Brix petition was not on the FDA’s regulatory agenda. ‘At this point, don’t you think it would just be easier to pass H.R. 1750?’ Cammack asked Jones. Later, Cammack added, ‘I would absolutely request that you get back to us with a timeline and some better answers when you appear before this committee.’
“We did receive an update from Rep. Cammack’s office that the FDA is continuing to move forward on the proposed rule to amend the standard of identity of orange juice, but there is no concrete timeline.
“The FDA stated that the next key step in moving the petition forward is adding the proposed rule to the Fall 2024 Unified Agenda. The Fall 2024 Unified Agenda includes the actions — including proposed and final rules — agencies intend to publish within 12 months of posting the agenda.
“While this is not the clear picture we hoped for with regard to next steps, the proposed rule on Brix could be on this fall’s Unified Agenda, which is expected to be published between October and December. We should know more of what to expect then.”
Learn more about the Brix issue and proposed legislation here.
Source: Florida Citrus Mutual
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