The consumption of fresh juice has been steadily increasing year on year, which has no doubt been helped by frequent news reports of the health benefits of consuming fruit in any format. The alleged cancer-fighting properties of oranges, grapefruits and other citrus, in particular, have been continually making the headlines, and juice sales have undoubtedly been strengthened by it being marketed as an ideal way to achieving 5 A DAY.
However, in recent weeks such positive promotion has been quelled by increasing coverage surrounding the potential link between juice consumption and the occurrence of obesity, particularly in children. And, with oranges being the strongest contender in the juice ingredients list, the citrus category would be the biggest casualty if such reports prompted a decline in juice sales. On average, Florida produces 1-1.5 billion gallons (3-6bn litres) of orange juice every year, of which approximately 100 million gallons is exported to Europe. Meanwhile, Brazil annually produces in excess of 10m tonnes of citrus for processing, almost 70 per cent of the country’s total citrus production.
One study in America, involving pre-school children, claims to have established a link between frequent consumption of sweet drinks - including fruit juice, squash and fizzy drinks - and obesity in children already showing a disposition to be overweight. Jean Welsh, author of the study at the Atlanta-based centre for disease control and prevention, told Reuter’s Health that the format, rather than simply the content, of the diet may be responsible for the findings, which is applicable to adults as well as children. “One possibility is that we respond differently to calories taken in liquid form than to those consumed as solids,” she says.
“Previous studies indicate that when we consume extra calories in the form of solids we accommodate them pretty well by reducing our subsequent intake. This accommodation does not appear to be as effective when the extra calories are consumed as liquids, making it more likely that these calories will be in addition to what we need to maintain our weight.” As a result she advised parents to limit their children’s intake of sweet drinks to less than one per day and encourage eating whole fruit as a healthy snack.
By contrast, Carol Freysinger, executive director of the Juice Products Association (JPA) in America, has dismissed the recent allegations, claiming that the information published did not sufficiently distinguish between the types of drinks being consumed. She highlights another study published in the US journal, Pediatrics, which concluded that with fruit juice only, there were no significant associations for at-risk or normal/underweight children. And among already over-weight children, the association was positive but only of borderline significance.
Freysinger says that, while the recently published Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends consuming whole fruit, because it allows an added intake of fibre, fruit and vegetable juices are also recommended for the amounts of vitamins and minerals they provide. Mike Yetter, director of international marketing at the Florida Department of Citrus, similarly affirms this stance. “We do not believe that childhood obesity is linked to fruit juice consumption,” he says. “Orange juice and grapefruit juice are nutrient dense juices, containing Vitamins A, C, B6, Thiamin, Niacin, Potassium, plus other minerals, that should be included in a balanced daily diet. It is our belief that childhood obesity, as well as adult obesity, is linked to a sedentary lifestyle and consuming too many calories, especially those high in fat. And citrus juices contain absolutely no fat.”
A spokeswoman for Innocent drinks, the UK’s number one brand of fruit smoothies, agrees that pure fruit juices should not be categorised with high sugar fruit drinks. “There’s a big difference between sweet drinks with a large number of added ingredients, such as water and sugar, concentrated juices and pure juices,” she says. “Of course smoothies and juices are calorific because they contain fruit and vegetables. But there’s a difference between empty calories and the calories, with all the beneficial vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytoprotectors that you get from juice.”
People need to learn which foods are suitable for everyday consumption and what should be regarded as a treat, she adds. “It’s always a question of a healthy balance. These allegations are not a legitimate concern and juice sales are unlikely to be seriously affected,” she says. Innocent drinks sells approximately 450,000 bottles a week, with sales having reached £70m last year, and increasing at around 150 per cent year on year.
However, global juice manufacturer Tropicana has already recognised concern surrounding the calorific value of juice. Last year in the US, the company launched a reduced calorie and sugar orange juice, in association with Weight Watchers. The new Light ‘n Healthy juice was targeted at the estimated two thirds of Americans deemed to be regulating their diets, while still concerned about observing the recommended daily allowance of vitamins and minerals.
Light ‘n Healthy contains a Weight Watchers POINTS value of 1, in comparison with original orange juice which counts as 2 POINTS. Yetter says that while other companies have followed suit, the long-term viability of so-called healthier juice products is still unknown. And the latest data indicates that the ‘less than 100 per cent products’ are still less than five per cent of the total orange juice category, he claims.
The reduced calorie juice has not made it onto the UK supermarket shelves, and, according to a spokeswoman for the British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA), it is unlikely to, since the EU has currently set a minimum sugar content for juice at 11.2 brix.
However, with UK consumers increasing their demand for healthier dietary options, Tropicana has re-launched its so-called healthy range under the brand name ‘Tropicana Essentials’, which includes a new orange juice option, ‘Tropicana Low Acid’, containing 30 per cent less acidity than the original variety. According to Tropicana, the low acid juice comes from a crop of oranges that are sweeter earlier in the season and the product is considered particularly suitable for heartburn sufferers or children, who are especially susceptible to dental acid erosion.
Juice as a category is still big business in the UK, with the market worth around £2.3bn. Market researchers Mintel recently reported that Britons now drink 2.2bn litres of juice drinks a year, 70 per cent of which is accounted for by orange juice. However, as more exotic combinations of juice continue to spring up on the market, some of the more traditional varieties, including the standard citrus flavours, are losing out. The percentage of orange juice consumption compared to other flavours, dropped by three per cent between 2001 and 2003, according to the Sucralose report produced by Zenith International. In addition, sales of grapefruit juice have fallen by 23 per cent over the past two years while the market for exotic juice drinks has risen by 133 per cent, says Mintel.
Despite the reduction in grapefruit sales, the Sucralose report states that British consumers still drank an estimated 30m litres of grapefruit juice last year. And, since 60 per cent of world grapefruit production comes from Florida, the BSDA is expecting a shortage of grapefruit juice, and a subsequent rise in prices, owing to the damages to Florida citrus caused by the hurricanes last autumn.
Yetter says the damage to grapefruit production will have a significant impact on global trade of the juice. “Our grapefruit growing region was hit harder than the orange area and we anticipate a significantly lower rate of production for grapefruit juice. Last year we produced 120m gallons of grapefruit juice, but this year we anticipate producing only about 20m gallons. Given that Florida is the largest producer of grapefruit juice in the world we anticipate a global shortage.”
However, long-term prospects for the industry are still positive. “Next year’s production of grapefruit is predicated on how well the grapefruit trees recover from the effects of the hurricane. At this point it is too early to tell but we do anticipate a good recovery,” he says.
While consumers are increasingly adventurous in their tastes for food and drink, orange juice is still a vibrant market, according to the Innocent Drinks spokeswoman and she does not expect this to change in the near future. The company uses orange juice as one of the three staple ingredients for most of its juices, even some of its more ambitious combinations, such as this year’s New Year Detox, which features beetroot as well as apple, banana and orange. Orange adds sharpness to the flavour and by following the sun year-round, Innocent can guarantee continual availability of the fruit, she says.
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