Tampa Republic

On February 4, 2025, Congresswoman Laurel Lee from Florida's 15th district expressed her support for the Defending Domestic Orange Juice Production Act. This bipartisan legislation seeks to revise regulations to aid Florida citrus growers and is backed by the entire Florida Delegation.

Rep. Laurel Lee highlighted the challenges faced by citrus growers in Florida, including citrus greening disease and extreme weather conditions such as hurricanes and droughts. She emphasized the need for action due to increasing competition from imported orange juice that impacts domestic producers. "With the increasing importation of foreign orange juice, which often undercuts our domestic producers, we must take decisive action to uphold the integrity and quality of American-made orange juice," said Rep. Lee.

The proposed bill aims to adjust the Brix standard set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for not-from-concentrate pasteurized orange juice from 10.5 percent to 10 percent. This change would allow oranges with a Brix level below 10.5 percent, which currently must be used for concentrate or other lower-priced products, to be utilized in not-from-concentrate pasteurized orange juice production.

This adjustment is intended to align with the natural composition of current crops affected by adverse conditions like hurricanes and greening disease without altering taste or nutritional value significantly. It aims to provide more flexibility for citrus producers while reducing dependence on imported fruit.

In 2022, both the Florida Citrus Processors Association and Florida Citrus Mutual filed a petition urging the FDA to amend its Brix requirements for pasteurized orange juice. The following year, Representatives Franklin and Wasserman Schultz introduced this legislation with full support from Florida lawmakers during an Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee hearing in September.