The Sunshine State has an orange juice problem. Extreme weather, including an unexpected freeze in January 2022, and an incurable citrus disease that has affected orange groves have caused the cost of O.J. to rise. This is adding to the strain on household budgets already being squeezed by an overall rise in the U.S. cost of living.
The cost of non-frozen, non-carbonated juices and drinks rose by 12.5% in January compared with a year ago and increased by 1.5% compared with the month before, according to government data released this week. Orange prices also rose by 4.8% in January compared with last year and increased by 3.7% month over month. That’s one of the highest monthly percentage increases in prices across all food categories. A bottle of fresh orange juice online costs about $4 and varies across platforms and brands — a 59 fluid-ounce bottle of Florida’s Natural Orange Juice without pulp is $4.29, whereas a 52 fluid-ounce bottle of Simply Orange Juice pulp-free is $4.79.
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