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- Growing Challenges in the Juice Category: How Brands are Meandering
Growing Challenges in the Juice Category: How Brands are Meandering
And Florida Citrus Growers Brace for Hurricane Milton as Forecasters Warn of 'Complete Destruction'
Jan van Iperen
October 09, 2024
For Professionals in the Juice and Citrus industry
And if you don’t know, now you know.
🧃 Juice News
At all levels of the category, from the entrepreneurial startup to the old guard giants, brands aren’t just sitting down and taking the punches. Bevnet spoke to several juice manufacturers to learn how they’re working not only to stay afloat as the tide recedes, but drive growth via innovation, marketing and a shored up supply of fresh fruit.
One of the most significant findings is the surge of the no/low alcohol trend among Gen Z. Almost a third (30%) of Gen Z Brazilians now opt for ‘healthy’ drinks when going out versus a year ago, over-indexing by +3pp (percentage poitns) compared to the average Brazilian consumer.
Among those who choose these options, 7% are likely to trade up to premium categories, signalling a growing interest in high-quality non-alcoholic beverages. This readiness to spend more for premium alternatives represents a valuable window for suppliers to position their offerings as both health-conscious and high-end to appeal to this discerning consumer base.
Orange Juice Replacer comes in both a powdered and liquid form and is available in either not-from concentrate or from concentrate options. These replacers can be used in beverages, beverage syrups, juices, frozen drinks and more, according to the company.
T. Hasegawa released its all-natural Orange Juice Replacer in response to the bacterial disease Huanglongbing — better known as citrus greening — which decimated citrus crops over the last decade, especially in North America.
Following the continued controversy with these beverages, the St. Louis, Mo.-based fast-casual company denied any wrongdoing, but added warning labels to stores and online ordering platforms, and removed the beverages from the self-serve areas. Eventually, the Charged Lemonades were discontinued altogether and replaced by new drinks with much lower caffeine levels.
🍊 Citrus News
Citrus producers are urged to keep accurate records to document any damage or loss, including dated photos1. It's critical for growers to report farm damage to their local USDA Service Center before starting any cleanup or repair activities. This documentation is essential for potential financial assistance from USDA.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has suspended size and weight restrictions for vehicles transporting emergency equipment, services, supplies, and agricultural commodities, including citrus. This emergency measure allows these vehicles to travel at all hours and is set to expire on Oct. 21 or upon rescission of the executive orders.
Touted as "yuzu's cousin from Tokushima," sudachi has a savory note that sets it apart from other citrus flavors. Naturally, YUZUCO's Sudachi Juice lends itself well to brightening the taste of fish or vegetables, balancing broths, stocks and vinaigrettes or preparing tart and peppery cocktails.
'Commodity prices looked to have peaked only in the last month and remain very high compared to previous levels,' says Circana's Alex Lawrence.
He anticipates price inflation will continue slowing over the coming year as juice manufacturers prioritise boosting volume sales.
At the same time, Rabobank predicts global orange juice demand will further shrink, falling to 1.1 million metric tonnes in 2024/25.
🔬 Research Worth Reading
The present research demonstrates the ability of CH/PVA hybrid nanofibers obtained through an electrospinning process to preserve citrus essential oils properties quality and reveals a high potential application of nonencapsulated citrus essential oils in biomaterials, food packaging, and advanced cosmetic application.
The application of SeF4 at the young fruit stage resulted in an increased seed rate (97%), total soluble solids (28%) and solid-to-acid ratio (75%), while titratable acid decreased by 26% compared to the control. Interestingly, Se application had non-significant effects on the fruit shape index, peel rate and residue rate across all stages (p>0.05).
Additionally, a positive correlation was observed between fruit Se content and several quality indices like total soluble solids, solid acid ratio, fruit shape index and fruit weight at young fruit stage (p≤0.05). It is concluded that foliar application of Se at 200 mg/L (SeF4) during young fruit stage improved citrus Se content, its fruit weight and quality indices establishing these fruits as a valuable source of Se-rich food for human consumption.
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