Florida Farm Bureau has submitted comments supporting the Food and Drug Administration’s proposal to amend the standard of identity for pasteurized orange juice by lowering the minimum orange juice soluble solids content from 10.5° to 10° Brix (FDA-2022-P-0016).
Florida Senator Ashley Moody introduced the Defending Domestic Orange Juice Production Act, a bill that has been re-introduced over the last several years. This bill aims to lower the brix for pasteurized orange juice by amending the federal standard of identity.
Domestic orange juice is currently blended with imported orange juice to meet the brix standard. Lower brix is a side effect of Huanglongbing, or citrus greening. The change in the standard of identity would not impact taste or quality of the juice but would allow our growers to be slightly more competitive.
The comments were submitted to the Food and Drug Administration, who oversee the Standard of Identity regulation. Read the comments here.
