PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed a change to pasteurized orange juice standards that the Florida Citrus Processors Association had petitioned.
The proposed change announced in August is related to Brix, a unit of measurement used in the food industry to measure the approximate amount of sugar in fruit.
The FDA established the 10.5% Brix level standard in 1963 and proposed lowering it to 10% since “the Brix level for Florida oranges has been steadily declining over the past few decades due to severe weather” and citrus greening, a bacterial disease.
Jared Eddy, a fifth-generation citrus grower, celebrated the announcement and said consumers won’t be able to tell the difference.
“We actually think that this may be good for some folks [who] may be watching their sugars,” Eddy said.
Related story: Neuroscientists’ breakthrough explains brain activity during decision-making
Copyright 2025 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.