Orange juice isn't what it used to be

From the Washington Post;  I'll quote a bit.

Orange juice is getting squeezed by competitors, prices and storms

"But consumers’ tastes are changing as shoppers look for drinks with less sugar — and with promises of added functions such as boosted hydration, extra vitamins, increased energy or gut health. Orange juice is increasingly competing with beverages with dazzling ingredients and flavors, whether elderflower or probiotics, and sales are continuing to decline."

"But the Sunshine State’s most famous crop is getting seriously squeezed, and not just by lack of demand or by all its new competitors. Production of Florida oranges is down to record lows, after years of hurricane damage, diseases, and commercial and residential development that is eating up former farmland. According to the U.S. Agriculture Department, the 2024-2025 crop is expected to be 11.5 million boxes, down 36 percent from last season, which itself was a record low. For context, a record 244 million boxes of oranges were harvested in Florida during the 1997-1998 season."

"OJ’s fortunes rose briefly during the coronavirus pandemic, when people were looking for immunity-boosting foods, experts note. That’s when consumers demonstrated that their concerns about sugar were overridden by their desire for foods long associated with fighting illnesses."

" “But that health halo around immunity has worn off, and the bigger issue for most shoppers is their pocketbook and also, like, do I also have enough money left over for these six other cool beverages that are more functional?” Nielsen says."