The U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA AMS) is amending the U.S. Standards for grades of orange juice (OJ) by changing the limits for Grade B Brix allowances in pasteurized OJ (POJ).
The change will align with the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Standard of Identity (SOI) for POJ. The Brix allowances under the U.S. OJ standards are based on FDA’s SOI requirements, and any changes to the requirements should result in a corresponding change to the U.S. OJ standards. This alignment with the SOI will prevent any future discrepancies.
The interim final notice was published in the Federal Register on Nov. 18, with the standards becoming effective immediately. Comments are due by Jan. 20, 2026. Comments can be submitted here.
BACKGROUND
Some state regulations, including Florida, require that Florida OJ meet the U.S. OJ standards. Generally, the domestic OJ industry relies on the U.S. OJ Standards for contract requirements related to acceptable POJ standards.
In response to a petition from the Florida Citrus Processors Association and Florida Citrus Mutual, the FDA issued a request for information seeking comment on potentially amending the SOI for POJ by reducing the minimum soluble solids content from 10.5° to 10° Brix. The Florida industry requested this change as they struggle to meet the current requirement due to the devastating effects of citrus greening disease (infected trees produce a lower Brix level). FDA has published a proposed rule that would amend the SOI for POJ by lowering the minimum orange juice soluble solids content from 10.5° to 10° Brix.
WHY IT MATTERS
Should FDA finalize its proposed amendment to the SOI for POJ, USDA would need to amend its U.S. OJ Standards accordingly. However, if the USDA changes are not made concurrently with the FDA’s changes, Florida producers would be bound by a higher Brix level under the U.S. OJ Standards and not realize the relief granted by FDA’s reduced Brix minimums. This inconsistency would likely cause significant disruption to producers, undue economic hardship, and negative impacts on commerce.
Accordingly, this revision to the U.S. OJ Standards, effective immediately, would remove the specific Brix allowances for Grade B POJ, and instead, would incorporate the FDA’s POJ SOI regulation to ensure USDA and FDA’s Brix allowances for POJ remain consistent. This alignment of the U.S. OJ Standards with FDA’s SOI will prevent any future discrepancy between the agencies’ respective Brix minimums for POJ.
Sources: USDA AMS and the Federal Register
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