FDA Issues Proposed Rule to Amend Standard of Identity for Pasteurized Orange Juice

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a proposed rule to amend an over 60-year-old Standard of Identity (SOI) for pasteurized orange juice to promote honesty and fair dealing for consumers. The proposed rule will also provide flexibility to the food industry. This rule furthers the agency’s ongoing actions to review its portfolio of over 250 SOI to make sure they are useful, relevant and serve consumers in the best possible way.

The proposed rule would reduce the minimum Brix requirement (a measurement that indicates the sugar content of a liquid), from 10.5 percent to 10 percent. The FDA is taking this action in response to a citizen petition submitted by the Florida Citrus Processors Association and Florida Citrus Mutual in 2022.

The FDA established an SOI for pasteurized orange juice in 1963 to protect the interests of consumers and reflect their expectations for orange juice. That standard set forth requirements for ingredients, manufacturing, juice content specifications and labeling, as well as the minimum Brix level of 10.5 percent. However, the Brix level for Florida oranges has been steadily declining over the past few decades due to severe weather and a bacterial disease called “citrus greening,” making it challenging to meet the minimum Brix established in the SOI. To meet FDA’s current requirements, some manufacturers have imported high-Brix orange juice from abroad.

The FDA expects that lowering the minimum Brix from 10.5 percent to 10 percent is unlikely to affect the taste of orange juice and will have a minimal impact on the nutrients found in orange juice. Proposing to update the SOI for pasteurized orange juice reflects the FDA’s efforts to strategically update and modernize food standards by better aligning this standard with current agricultural norms and providing greater production flexibility, while maintaining the basic nature and essential characteristics of the product.

Commenters will have 90 days to submit comments. Further information on how to submit a comment can be found here.