Popular breakfast beverage is at risk of disappearing

The most popular breakfast beverage worldwide is at risk of disappearing due to disease and bad weather destroying crops.

Orange trees in the US and Brazil have suffered from citrus greening disease caused by sap-sucking insects that kill trees after making the existing fruit bitter.

And Florida has also been hit by hurricanes that have destroyed much of America’s supply.

Together, Florida and Brazil account for more than 85 percent of the global orange juice supply, making up a large part of the economies.

This year’s harvest is down by 24 percent compared to 2023, leading orange juice supply prices to jump by 20 percent. 

Citrus greening disease, also called Huanglongbing, is a bacterial infection that is identified as one of the most serious citrus diseases in the world because there is no cure.

Once infected, most trees will produce poorly colored, lopsided and bitter fruit, which leads to them dying within a few years.

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The most vulnerable orange trees grow in regions that see consistent temperatures of 77 degrees Fahrenheit, and the disease has already destroyed millions of acres of these crops across the US and abroad.

The disease can spread from one citrus plant nursery to another, and the Florida Department of Citrus reported that the state’s citrus production could drop by more than 80 percent by 2026.

A tiny insect called the Asian citrus psyllid is to blame for the losses, which was first found in Palm Beach County, Florida in 1998

Within two years, the insect had spread to 31 counties and has since made its way through Texas, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Hawaii and several other states.

The Asian citrus psyllid kills trees by first drawing out large amounts of sap from the leaves as it feeds while also producing a substantial amount of honeydew that coats the greenery.

Because the honeydew covers the leaves, it encourages sooty mold to grow, blocking sunlight from reaching the leaves.

In the last 20 years, citrus greening disease has caused Florida’s supply of orange juice to decline from 240 million boxes produced each year to just 17 million. 

Florida is the second-largest orange juice producer in the world and the largest in the US – producing about half of what’s consumed in the country. 

Meanwhile, Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais – Brazil’s main orange-producing areas – are only expected to harvest 232 million boxes this year, a drop of 24 percent from 2023. 

Supply chains are considering alternate methods to overcome the orange juice shortage which could cause major long-term challenges.

They have suggested combining oranges with frozen juice and are lobbying the US Food and Drug Administration to relax food regulations to allow them to add other citrus fruits to orange juice. 

Mixing the new crop of oranges with frozen juice or with other fruits like mandarins would require additional transportation and processing costs that could further drive up the cost of your morning beverage.

This comes as Americans are already complaining about the cost of inflation and might expect their orange juice to cost less because it’s diluted with other ingredients.

The cost of a 16-ounce orange juice cost the average consumer $2.41 in 2019, but by the end of 2023, it rose to $3.41 while consumer demand has dropped by a fifth compared to last year.

‘The global orange juice industry is in crisis,’ Francois Sonneville, a senior beverages analyst at Rabobank told The Guardian. 

‘The Florida industry has all but disappeared, and Brazilian groves are plagued by disease, rising costs, and unfavorable growing conditions, leaving global orange juice supplies at their lowest point in decades,’ he said.