Orange Juice Sales Remain Steady

Green orange tree, lots of fruits

Sales of Florida orange juice have remained relatively stable as the world moves into the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic. But a drop in production, combined with continuing inflation, might be catching up to the industry.

“We currently know that the demand for Florida fruit remains strong, but that demand is going to require support,” Marisa Zansler, director of economic and market research for the Florida Department of Citrus, said Wednesday.

The support might require tapping existing inventories and drawing on imports to fulfill the market demand, Zansler said. Members of the Florida Citrus Commission were advised Wednesday that the price of orange juice is up 8.2 percent from a pre-pandemic 2019 level and could increase by 5.7 percent from current shelf prices. So far, most shopping for orange juice hasn’t been affected.

Zansler said “health and wellness” was a driving force during the summer as reports spread about the delta variant of the coronavirus.

In updating a forecast for the current growing season, the U.S. Department of Agriculture last week estimated Florida orange production would be 5.3 percent below an initial forecast from October and 15.7 percent lower than the yield from the 2020-2021 season.