OJ prices going up
TEXT OF STORY
LISA NAPOLI: First it was coffee. Now the price of orange juice is zooming up. Rachel Dornhelm says Florida’s orange crop is expected to be one of the smallest since the freezes of the 1980s.
RACHEL DORNHELM: Four hurricanes in two years have taken a toll on Florida orange trees. And that will take a toll on consumers’ wallets.
Prices could climb as much as 60 cents for a gallon of orange juice at your local market.
While Brazil is the world’s largest producer, Andrew Meadows with the Florida Department of Citrus says 90 percent of OJ sold in the US usually comes from his state.
ANDREW MEADOWS: So there will be an increase in Brazilian juice into the United States, but still Florida juice will be the vast majority of the orange juice consumed here.
There is one drop of good news for grapefruit lovers.
Meadows says that crop wasn’t affected as badly and prices on Florida grapefruit juice are actually expected to fall.
I’m Rachel Dornhelm for Marketplace.
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