The USDA and the Food and Drug Administration announced plans to support American citrus growers and cut bureaucratic barriers by proposing an update to the standard of identity (SOI) for pasteurized orange juice. This action will end a 60-year-old rule hurting domestic farmers and forcing reliance on imports. Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins said it’s a big win for citrus growers. “Florida’s orange growers have faced years of hardships from hurricanes, greening, and burdensome regulations that no longer reflect the realities of today’s crop,” Rollins said. “This change is a commonsense reform that cuts red tape, strengthens our domestic supply chain, and ensures more American oranges end up in American breakfast glasses.” The proposal would reduce the minimum Brix level, a measure of dissolved sugar content, in pasteurized orange juice from 10.5 to 10 percent. That means more American oranges will meet the requirement, and fewer imports will be necessary.
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