Fresh Squeezed OJ

Since I moved out of my parent’s home and away from their restrictive diets I’ve gotten in the habit of always having a quart of Tropicana Orange Juice in my fridge. Recently I decided its time to investigate and find the true reason this product has become an important part of the American diet. As with any non-processed food there is a long history behind the many varieties of oranges and their uses. One of the oldest known varieties, the bitter Persian Orange was first documented in Italy during the 11th century. The first sweet oranges, which came from India, are not documented until the 15th century and were planted by sailors all along trade routes as a source of fresh fruit to help avoid scurvy. Columbus was one of the first exporters of oranges and orange seeds to the Caribbean in 1493 and soon after, in 1513, Juan Ponce de Leon introduced oranges to Florida. Oranges thrived in the seaport cities of St. Augustine and Tampa and could easily be transported to nearly any location. In 1894 there was a “Great Freeze” that caused severe shortages and inherently stalled the booming industry. The one positive aspect that came from this shortage was a stronger desire for a mechanized method of juicing and preserving oranges. (Orange-fruit wiki) The following summary of the Orange Juice industry attempts to explain why it began, how it started, the nutritional and cultural value, and also how the industry is struggling to maximize profits.

One of the easiest ways to describe how the orange juice industry began is to say that in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s doctors created a demand for it by stating that it’s rich in vitamins that help prevent scurvy and other health disorders that were prevalent at the time. (How Products Are Made: Volume 4) Another factor that played into this was the need to be able to utilize fruit that were not sellable in stores due to blemishes and bruising. Ready-to-drink orange juice became available in America in the 1920’s after Albert D. Lasker, the advertising copywriter for the California Fruit Growers Exchange (which later became Sunkist) coined the term "Drink an orange." (The Juicy History Of The Orange In America) The 1918-19 worldwide flu pandemic (which killed 675,000 Americans) also played a key role in marketing and consumption because a daily supply of three essential nutrients; vitamin C, potassium and calcium could be found in a simple glass of delicious orange juice. American mothers in states such as Florida and California began purchasing the juice that was being made from left over oranges to try and prevent their family from becoming ill. The resulting industry made orange juice the second most popular breakfast drink on the American table.

At this point orange juice gained a generous amount of cultural significance; to me orange juice is a vibrant example of the ingenuity of Americans and represents a model for which many industries began. The next few major breakthroughs in the orange juice industry were the citrus processing plant built by the Florida Fruit Products Co. in 1915 and fruit juice cans in 1923. Along with the increased demand came the need to further strengthen the industry. In 1930 a process was perfected to pasteurize juices called Flash pasteurization. A decade and half later citrus juice concentrate was developed at the Lake Alfred Citrus Experiment Station in Florida and commercial production of frozen orange juice concentrate began in 1946. (Historic Milestones) This process consisted of concentrating fruit juice in a vacuum and freezing it; a process that produced a “flavorless commercial flop.” (More and Better Citrus) It was extremely successful because it created a cheaper, easier way to transport product that still contained the same vitamin content. (Orange Juice: Background) Recently I’ve also learned that pesticides began to be sprayed on the fields primarily after World War 2 which caused many agricultural products to become much cheaper to produce.

It was around this time that Anthony T. Rossi, a Sicilian immigrant and vendor of fine citrus fruits to department stores decided he needed to find something to do with the oranges that were not good enough to sell in his gift baskets. In 1949 he moved to Bradenton, FL and started Fruit Industries, Inc. That same year he purchased the machinery to make concentrated juices and began a new line of fruit juice products trademarked as Tropicana. His product and branding schemes were extremely successful; soon he had quit marketing his gift baskets and was focusing entirely on juice. The famous "Tropic-Ana" girl was introduced to supermarket shelves in 1951 however at this time the products were only sold in the eastern United States. Many attribute Tropicana’s success to a new flash pasteurization method introduced by Rossi in 1954. His method consists of quickly increasing the temperature of freshly squeezed juice for a short period of time. This caused for increased shelf life of up to three months and helped to protect consumers from dangerous bacteria while having little affect, if any on the taste. Soon he was selling “Pure-Premium,” the most popular, not-from-concentrate juice nationwide. (Tropicana Products, Inc.) Tropicana’s advertising of premium juice was not far from the truth however it shows the manipulation that became involved in convincing the costumer not to purchase something that is not pure. Currently we seem to be falling for this “pure” theme all over again as many people purchase “organic” foods from faceless industrial growers.

There are many positive aspects of orange juice, whether frozen or fresh squeezed, it contains a long list essential nutrients including glucose, fructose, sucrose, potassium, vitamin C, calcium and flavonoids. (Orange Juice) This rich blend of nutrients is most commonly drank alone however it is also used to flavor cocktails, popsicles, cakes, marinades, smoothies and candies. Unfortunately if drunk on an empty stomach, orange juice can cause mild, temporary stomach problems. Also drinking orange juice alone for an extended period of time can erode tooth enamel because it contains citric acid (pH 3.5). (Orange Juice Wiki) Just like other food industries, large corporations like Tropicana have long since been trying their best to maximize profits through marketing and production while providing a top-grade product. According to a Florida Department of Citrus survey taken in 2000 “the average supermarket devoted 40linear feet of shelf space to orange juice” also “almost one-fifth of all orange juice sales were for calcium-fortified products” (Orange Juice) Much of the marketing is aimed at mothers and those who want to live healthy but it seems that few of those people know they can get a full supply of the “fortified” nutrients from a regular glass of fresh squeezed orange juice.

The future of orange juice looks much like the rest of the food industry; prices will continue to rise as transportation and irrigation water costs increase. Currently Brazil, Mexico and America are the largest producers and exporters. Recently to combat the price increases Tropicana introduced a new 96-oz., easy pour container for the same price but decided only to fill it with 89-oz of juice. (A Thousand Cuts) Most likely other companies will follow this scam or others like it to produce the highest quality product at the lowest price; however consumers always have the final word.



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