Well, Now There's a Debate About Orange Juice

Orange juice is having an identity crisis. Once the poster child of a healthy breakfast, it's now caught in a tug-of-war between nutrition science, government regulation, and a struggling citrus industry. The Washington Post reports the citrus drink could be made with slightly less sugary oranges under a regulation proposed Tuesday by the Trump administration. But this isn't necessarily a move to cut calories or improve public health—it's a response to Florida orange growers, who asked the FDA to loosen sugar standards as their crops yield less. That debate is just one piece of a bigger question: Is orange juice actually healthy? Peter Lurie, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said it's not so simple. "Juices are a dilemma."

Orange juice does contain nutrients like calcium and vitamin C, but it also delivers a big hit of natural sugar. And without the fiber found in whole fruit, it spikes blood sugar quickly. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises against giving juice to infants at all and recommends strict limits for older kids. But some experts say moderation is the key. "If you're going to have a small amount of juice, it's not going to be anything that anybody's going to worry about," said Marion Nestle, a retired NYU professor of nutrition. But even without added sugars, most orange juice brands still have 18 grams per serving. "Orange juice is sugar water," said Barry Popkin, a professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina. "Every juice is essentially sugar water."

And that sugar is at the core of the problem for the Florida citrus industry, which CBS News reports ended the 2024-2025 growing season with the lowest production in more than a century. A bacterial disease—worsened by Hurricane Irma—has lowered the natural sugar in oranges, making it harder for growers to meet the federal standard for pasteurization. If the juice doesn't hit that mark, it can't be called "pasteurized orange juice," which is what you can find in most grocery stores. In 2022, trade groups asked the FDA to lower the requirement from 18 grams to 17 grams of sugar per serving. Growers say the change would help keep Florida orange juice on shelves and reduce the need for imports—and chances are, most people won't even notice the difference.