Old Orchard Brands, in the US reports seeing a renewed consumer interest in the frozen juice category, which has experienced triple-digit sales growth amid COVID-19 pandemic buying, according to data from Information Resources Inc. This information indicates consumers in the US are buying frozen juices at the highest rate seen in years.

The reversal of trends marks a major change in buying habits, contradicting what the category has seen during the past two decades of steady declines. As states reopen and shopping behaviour patterns continue to shift, sustained double-digit sales increases in frozen juice concentrates suggest longer-term stabilization and revitalization of the category, the company says.  “While we have seen a tremendous spike in frozen juice sales over the past 12 weeks, we are optimistic that these levels will remain elevated as we move forward,” said Kevin Miller, Old Orchard vice president of marketing, in a statement. “We understand much of the initial category growth is a result of consumers’ ‘panic buying’, but the numbers have remained strong as stay-at-home orders have lifted, and restrictions have loosened. This leads us to believe that the frozen juice category, among others, has been reshaped by new consumer purchasing habits.”BevIndustry

The Brazilian exports of frozen concentrate orange juice (FCOJ) Equivalent (2019/20 crop) are ending, and the volume sold to all destinations continues higher than that last season.

From July/19 to May/20, Brazil shipped 1.03 million tonnes of juice, 13% more than that exported in the first 11 months of the 2018/19 season (913.4 thousand tonnes), according to data from Secex.

To the European Union, specifically, Brazilian juice shipments totalled 723.7 thousand tonnes, 23% up compared to that in the same period last season (587.7 thousand tonnes). To the United States, Brazilian exports have decreased by 19% this season, to 154.5 thousand tonnes.

Low demand explains the decrease in the volume sent to the US, due to the forecast for a recovery in the 2019/20 season in Florida for the second consecutive year. The state has faced several problems involving weather and plant health this season and in previous crops. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, juice sales in the American retail market have increased significantly – data from Nielsen indicate that, this season (from October/19 to April 11, 2020), the volume sold was 6.1% higher than that in the same period of the crop before.

In this scenario, local juice stocks are being consumed. Although inventories are higher than that in the season before, projections indicating an increase in stocks are lower than those at the beginning of the year. Cepea

Beginning in mid-April, the USDA authorized the importation of five types of commercially produced fresh citrus fruit from China into the continental US. According to the agency, after thorough analysis, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service scientists determined that pummelo, ‘nanfeng’ honey mandarin, ponkan, sweet orange, and satsuma mandarin fruit from China could be safely imported into the US under a systems approach to protect against the introduction of plant pests. Both industry leaders and growers criticized the move. While the imports were believed to have a small market impact, at least initially, most were concerned about the potential of invasive pest and disease threats it posed. The fact COVID-19 originated out of China only heightens the sentiment.

Florida’s Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried came out strongly in opposition to the move and called on USDA to reconsider. She argued that her opposition was two-fold. “After all that Florida’s industry has overcome and the current challenges facing our farmers, to put our agriculture industry at risk by allowing both the introduction of additional invasive species, as well as increased foreign competition, is beyond misguided,” she noted in a letter to the agency.

The fear of invasive pests from China is not unfounded. A 2019 risk management assessment by USDA found that 22 pests and diseases of quarantine significance were noted from China that could follow the pathway of introduction into the continental US. These included three different mites, a leaf miner, eight different Bactrocera fruit flies, Asian corn borer, Asian citrus psyllid, a bacterial pathogen causing citrus greening, a bacterial pathogen causing yellowing, a complex of bacteria causing citrus canker, three different fungi (one causing citrus black spot), citrus bent leaf viroid, and Satsuma dwarf virus.

All 22 are quarantinable pests and pose a significant risk to Florida’s citrus industry and other agricultural crops grown in the state including avocado, blueberries, citrus, peaches, peppers, persimmons, tomatoes, and many other valuable crops.  Multiple farm organizations have called on USDA to reverse the decision to allow the citrus imports from China. At press time, USDA had not responded to those calls or announced any changes to its decision. GrowingProduce