Study Shows OJ Benefits for Children

Ernie Neff Orange Juice

A new study finds that children who drink 100 percent orange juice (OJ) as part of a healthy diet have better overall diet quality and consume more nutrients than those who do not. The research also adds to a growing body of evidence showing consumption of 100 percent OJ has no impact on weight in children. Authors of the study …

new york times

Marketing OJ Amidst COVID-19

Tacy Callies Marketing, Orange Juice

Each month, the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) and partner agency, Edible, dig deep into current consumer behaviors to gain insights on how messaging and marketing programs could be adapted for the greatest success. In a recent webinar, Kim McAndrews, senior vice president and food and beverage strategic planner for Edible, discussed the rapidly changing environment of COVID-19 and the …

Research to Prove OJ Health Benefits

Ernie Neff Orange Juice, Research

The Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) recently approved three research projects aimed at further proving the health benefits of orange juice (OJ) consumption. The OJ-related projects had been recommended by the commission’s Scientific Research Advisory Committee. The projects were discussed by Rosa Walsh, director of the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) Scientific Research Department, during the October FCC meeting. The FCC …

Uncle Matt’s Announces New OJ

Ernie Neff Orange Juice

Uncle Matt’s Organic recently announced the launch of its Ultimate Immune orange juice beverage. It is made with organic orange juice, elderberry, vitamin C, vitamin D and zinc. “Over the past six months, families have turned to what they associate with daily immune support: vitamin C-rich orange juice,” said Susan McLean, vice president of marketing and innovation at the company. …

USDA OJ Purchases Set Precedent

Ernie Neff Orange Juice

Marisa Zansler, economist for the Florida Department of Citrus, recently gave the Florida Citrus Commission an update on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Section 32 purchases of orange juice (OJ). A summary of her report follows. The purpose of USDA Section 32 purchases is to help alleviate depressed markets for domestically produced agriculture products. The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service also …

OJ Proves Beneficial for Youth

Ernie Neff Orange Juice, Research

A new, four-year study published in Public Health Nutrition found that drinking 100 percent orange juice (OJ) is not associated with negative effects on body weight, body mass index (BMI) or BMI percentile among 9- to 16-year-olds. It also found that higher OJ consumption is associated with increased height for girls and increased trends for physical activity levels in both …

OJ Sales at Pre-2017 Levels

Tacy Callies Orange Juice, sales

The Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) reports that 100 percent Florida orange juice (OJ) sales finished strong for the 2019–20 season. FOR THE PERIODMarisa Zansler, FDOC director of economic and market research, gave an in-depth overview of the final Nielsen OJ Retail Sales Report for the 2019–20 season through the four-week period ending Sept. 26, 2020. She presented a summary …

Maintaining Orange Juice Momentum

Ernie Neff Orange Juice

The Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) normally launches minimal programs during the first quarter of the fiscal year and instead focuses on strategic planning. This year, though, in order to continue to build upon the momentum of 2019-20, the FDOC and its advertising agency, Edible, launched a robust campaign to drive sales of 100 percent orange juice (OJ) at retail. …

citrus

Citrus Australia Wants Juice Rating Reconsidered

Ernie Neff International, Orange Juice

Citrus Australia says the country’s state governments “will be asked to bring common sense to the Health Star Rating (HSR) system” at a meeting in November. The rating system currently rates diet soft drinks as healthier than fresh Australian juice. Industry bodies have contacted Senator Richard Colbeck, chair of the Australia and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation, asking …

fresh

Orange Juice Import Impacts

Ernie Neff Orange Juice

Economist Tom Spreen discussed the impact of imports in the United States orange juice (OJ) market at the Sept. 16 Florida Citrus Commission meeting. Spreen is retired from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Spreen’s analysis began with increased imports in 2017 after Hurricane Irma struck Florida. Largely as a result of the storm, nearly 24 …

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Mexico Exceeds Brazil in OJ Sales to the United States

Ernie Neff Orange Juice

Orange juice (OJ) sales from Mexico to the United States now exceed those from Brazil, according to a recent study by CitrusBR. CitrusBR is an entity representing Citrosuco, Cutrale and Louis Dreyfus, the three largest exporters of Brazilian OJ. The study indicates sales from Mexico to the United States began to gain strength in 1993 and have skyrocketed since 2008. …

new york times

Season’s OJ Sales Up Nearly 13 Percent

Ernie Neff Orange Juice

The increase in sales of U.S. orange juice (OJ) that began during the early days of COVID-19 is continuing, according to Marisa Zansler, director of the Florida Department of Citrus Economic and Market Research Department. Zansler told the Florida Citrus Commission on Sept. 16 that as consumers began to adapt to a new normal while still living under COVID-19 conditions, …

orange juice

Keeping the OJ Momentum Going

Ernie Neff Orange Juice

Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) staff has been “hard at work ensuring the momentum experienced by the orange juice (OJ) category earlier this year doesn’t fade as we usher in the fall,” Ned Hancock stated recently. Hancock, chairman of the Florida Citrus Commission, provided that information and more in an update to the citrus industry on FDOC activities. Hancock said …

FDOC Efforts Successful in Moving More Juice

Tacy Callies Orange Juice

According to the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC), sales of 100 percent orange juice (OJ) continue to show promising results. In the 4-week period ending Aug. 1, average year-over-year sales of total OJ increased 21 percent with 32.64 million equivalent gallons sold, per the latest Nielsen retail sales report. Sales of not-from-concentrate (NFC) OJ increased 27 percent for the period. …

Dietary Guidelines Report Is Positive for Fruit Juice

Ernie Neff Orange Juice

According to the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC), the conclusions and statements presented in a federal report related to 100 percent fruit juice are positive. The first print of the federal Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) report was released on July 15. This report will be used to develop the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) later this year. These …

citrus

Global Orange Juice Production to Drop

Ernie Neff International, Orange Juice

Global orange juice production for 2019-20 is estimated to slip 23 percent from last season, to 1.6 million tons, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service. Much of the blame falls on Brazil and Mexico, where fewer oranges are expected to be available for processing. Worldwide orange juice consumption is projected to be flat, though not down. …

OJ May Help Lower Blood Pressure

Ernie Neff Orange Juice, Research

A growing body of scientific research shows that 100 percent orange juice (OJ), and its vitamins and minerals, may play a beneficial role in helping to lower blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease. Recently, a randomized control study performed by researchers at Eurecat, Centre Tecnològic de Catalunya, in Reus, Spain concluded that 100 percent OJ and 100 percent OJ fortified …

A New Baseline for Orange Juice Sales

Tacy Callies Orange Juice, sales

A new webinar presentation from the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) Economic and Market Research Department shows that U.S. orange juice (OJ) retail sales continue to remain up. A data source for the webinar is the FDOC Nielsen Topline Report #10 of the 2019-20 Season for the four-week period ending July 4, 2020. According to Marisa Zansler, director of FDOC’s …

Court Rules in Favor of Florida’s Natural

Ernie Neff Orange Juice

A federal appeals court in New York has upheld the dismissal of a claim that Florida’s Natural Growers’ (FNG) use of the word “Natural” in its brand name was deceptive. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit made the ruling on May 29.   The appeals court held that the company’s use of the word “Natural” in its …

fresh

Juice Returning to Florida Welcome Centers

Ernie Neff Orange Juice

Florida orange and grapefruit juice will start flowing again in the state’s welcome centers on July 1. The Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) on June 17 approved a new contract with Visit Florida to provide not-from-concentrate citrus juice at the welcome centers for one year. The Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC), which the FCC oversees, will spend $250,000 to cover the …