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PORTSIDE CULTURE

THE FDA MAY CHANGE WHAT LEGALLY COUNTS AS ORANGE JUICE  
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Stacey Leasca
August 8, 2025
Food & Wine
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_ In response to the Florida Citrus Processors Association and
Florida Citrus Mutual, the FDA is proposing to amend the standard of
identity for pasteurized orange juice, in place for 6 decades, "to
promote honesty and fair dealing for consumers." _

Look out for more sugar (or water) and less fruit., Credit: Food &
Wine / Getty Images

 

In late July, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its
plans to both revoke or propose to revoke 52 food standards, including
several "standards of identity," after it said it found them to be
"obsolete." And now, that may include orange juice, too. Here's what
this means for your morning glass of juice and beyond. 

FIRST, WHAT IS A FOOD STANDARD OF IDENTITY? 

As Food & Wine
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previously explained, the FDA began setting standards of identity in
1939 to promote "honesty and fair dealing" and ensure the
"characteristics, ingredients, and production processes of specific
foods were consistent with what consumers expect."

Back then, the FDA added, companies often sold products "that were
represented as jams containing fruit, but the products contained
little fruit," so it established baseline rules for certain foods to
be labeled as such. For example, the Oregon Growers explained that
"preserves" and "jams" must contain at least "55% sugar and 45% fruit.
If a product does not meet these requirements, it must be called by
another name."

With this new update, jam makers may no longer be required to adhere
to these percentages if their standard of identity were to go away,
meaning your next jar could be more sugar, water, or some other
ingredient entirely than mostly fruit. 

WHY IS THE FDA CHANGING IT FOR ORANGE JUICE?

On Aug. 5, the FDA announced
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that it's proposing to amend the standard of identity for pasteurized
orange juice, which has been in place for six decades, in an effort
"to promote honesty and fair dealing for consumers." It added that the
proposed rule change will "provide flexibility to the food
industry." 

Why the change now? As the FDA explained, it's in response to a
petition by the Florida Citrus Processors Association and Florida
Citrus Mutual, which is asking for the change, as the current standard
of identity has a minimum Brix requirement, "a measurement that
indicates the sugar content of a liquid," at 10.5%. It wants to reduce
this requirement to a flat 10%. That's because the state of Florida
has been ravaged by citrus greening disease, which has caused a lower
crop production as well as fruit that has less sugar than before. 

"The FDA's pasteurized orange juice standard of identity, when
originally promulgated in 1963, was carefully constructed to reflect
the qualities of U.S. oranges," the petition
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by the two organizations states. "It should now be updated to align
with the properties of the modern U.S. crop. Without these changes,
manufacturers of finished pasteurized orange juice products must
increasingly rely on higher Brix imported juice to meet or exceed the
U.S. minimum Brix for pasteurized orange juice."

The FDA further explained that the change shouldn't affect the taste
of orange juice and will have "a minimal impact on the nutrients found
in orange juice."

Beyond importing more oranges to meet the standard of identity, many
are also starting to toy with the idea of mixing fruits to create
orange blends that will still satisfy our taste for OJ without the
cost. F&W reported in 2024 that the UK company Coldpress launched a
mandarin juice to give consumers an OJ alternative.

WHAT OTHER STANDARDS OF IDENTITY MAY CHANGE? 

Other foods that may have their standards of identity change soon
include several types of canned fruits and vegetables, including
artificially sweetened canned fruits (apricots, cherries, pears,
peaches, pineapples) and select canned vegetables, such as field corn
and dry peas. More than a dozen dairy products are included in the
list, including low‑sodium cheddar and colby cheeses, along with
cream cheese blends, and frozen desserts like goat milk ice cream and
mellorine. Milk breads, rolls, and buns are also on the list, as are
enriched macaroni and frozen juice concentrates. 

“The FDA’s Standards of Identity efforts have helped ensure
uniformity, boost consumer confidence, and prevent food fraud. But
many of these standards have outlived their usefulness and may even
stifle innovation in making food easier to produce or providing
consumers healthier choices,” FDA Commissioner Marty Makary added in
the July press release. “Antiquated food standards are no longer
serving to protect consumers. It is common sense to revoke them and
move to a more judicious use of food standards and agency resources."

Stacey Leasca is an award-winning journalist with nearly two decades
of newsroom experience. She is also the co-founder of Be a Travel
Writer, an online course for the next generation of travel
journalists.

* oranges
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* standards of identity
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* FDA
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