To modify the minimum required weight of orange juice soluble solids.
Sponsors
Ashley Moody
R-FL | Primary Sponsor
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMrs. Moody (for herself and Mr. Scott of Florida) introduced …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill raises the federal quality standard for pasteurized orange juice by requiring it to contain at least 10.0% orange juice soluble solids by weight. It modifies an existing FDA regulation (21 CFR 146.140) that governs what can legally be sold as "orange juice" in the United States. The change takes effect immediately when the bill becomes law.
Who Benefits and How
Domestic orange juice producers, particularly Florida citrus growers and premium juice brands that make "not from concentrate" products, benefit from this bill. These producers already make higher-quality juice that meets or exceeds the 10.0% standard, so they face no new costs. Instead, they gain a competitive advantage because the higher standard makes it harder for foreign competitors and budget brands to undercut them on price with lower-quality, more diluted products. This effectively creates a trade barrier that protects the domestic orange juice industry.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Foreign orange juice producers, especially those in Brazil and Mexico who export concentrate to the U.S., face higher compliance costs as they must reformulate their products to meet the stricter standard or lose access to the American market. Budget orange juice brands that currently sell more diluted products will either need to increase the amount of actual orange juice in their products (raising production costs) or exit the market entirely. Low-income consumers and price-conscious shoppers bear indirect costs through higher prices and fewer budget options at the grocery store.
Key Provisions
- Sets a mandatory minimum of 10.0% orange juice soluble solids by weight for all pasteurized orange juice sold in the U.S.
- Amends the existing FDA standard of identity in 21 CFR 146.140
- Takes effect immediately upon enactment
- Excludes sweetener solids from the calculation (only counts actual orange juice content)
- Preserves the FDA'''s authority to further amend the standard in the future through normal regulatory processes
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Increases the minimum orange juice soluble solids requirement for pasteurized orange juice from current standards to 10.0% by weight.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Create a higher quality standard for orange juice to protect domestic producers who make higher-quality product, effectively creating a trade barrier against lower-quality imports"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Domestic orange juice producers
- Florida citrus growers
- Premium juice manufacturers
Likely Burden Bearers
- Importers of diluted orange juice concentrate
- Foreign orange juice producers
- Budget juice brands
- Consumers seeking lower-cost options
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Health and Human Services
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
The existing federal standard established in 21 CFR 146.140, which this bill modifies to require not less than 10.0% orange juice soluble solids by weight
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology