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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared in Lakeland on Friday to announce sweet news for Florida citrus growers: the Food and Drug Administration has officially lowered the required ratio of sugar and solids in not-from-concentrate orange juice, known as the Brix standard.
Kennedy said the move is part of a broader effort under President Donald Trump to ease burdensome regulations that disadvantage American farmers.
“President Trump is ending an outdated regulation that forced American orange juice producers to rely on foreign imports and an obsolete sugar standard,” Kennedy said at Bonnet Springs Park. “We are cutting red tape, saving the industry more than $50 million each year, strengthening American supply chains, and creating a level playing field for U.S. citrus growers — all while maintaining the safety, quality, and taste Americans expect. That is America First policy, guided by gold-standard science.”
He appeared alongside Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and members of Florida’s congressional delegation, including U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody and U.S. Reps. Kat Cammack and Laurel Lee.
Bipartisan lawmakers representing Florida have pushed for years to change the Brix standard. U.S. Reps. Scott Franklin, a Lakeland Republican, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Weston Democrat, filed the Defending Domestic Orange Juice Production Act to that effect. Franklin’s wife, Amy, attended the event to mark the change.
Acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas said the change should put more domestically produced juice on shelves in place of imports.
“Today’s action proves the FDA is fully committed to putting American workers and American growers first, completely dismantling the regulatory barriers that have forced our markets to depend on foreign citrus imports,” Diamantas said. “By modernizing outdated regulations, the FDA is eliminating unnecessary barriers so American farmers and manufacturers can thrive — and keeping citrus production where it belongs, right here at home.”
The Brix standard had gone unchanged since it was set in 1963. But changes to the crops grown in the U.S. have made the 10.5-degree minimum increasingly difficult to meet. The rule change cuts the floor to 10 degrees and permits up to 15% Citrus reticulata (mandarin/tangerine) juice or hybrid juice by volume.
Lawmakers said the shift was years overdue.
“American farmers deserve every opportunity to compete, succeed, and lead the world with the products they grow here at home,” said Lee, a Thonotosassa Republican. “I appreciate Secretary Kennedy’s leadership in advancing this thoughtful, commonsense proposal to modernize the federal Brix standard. By updating a decades-old federal standard to reflect the realities of modern agriculture while preserving the outstanding quality consumers expect, this proposal creates new opportunities for Florida-grown citrus, strengthens domestic production, and gives Florida growers the opportunity to compete on the strength of the exceptional product they’ve produced for generations.”
Moody asked the FDA to modify the standard after her arrival in the U.S. Senate last year, and she welcomed the news.
“When I heard an outdated FDA rule was threatening the survival of Florida’s great citrus growers, I immediately went to work — filing the Defending Domestic Orange Juice Production Act and meeting with the White House to expedite a solution. Today is proof that the juice was worth the squeeze,” Moody said. “Florida’s citrus farmers are an integral part of Florida’s culture, and I will always fight to ensure they have the support they need to continue growing and making a living. Thank you to everyone who worked so cohesively to make this happen, including Sec. Kennedy, Rep. Franklin, Rep. Lee, Rep. Cammack, and our industry partners. This is a major win for our state.”
Cammack, the only Florida Representative on the House Agriculture Committee, said the change means processors can now make 100% orange juice entirely with Florida fruit. She noted that Florida Citrus Mutual and the Florida Citrus Processors Association petitioned for the change in 2022.
“For years, Congressman Scott Franklin and I have been working alongside Florida’s citrus growers because they kept telling us the same thing: Washington’s rules no longer matched the reality in Florida’s groves. Citrus greening, hurricanes, and freezes changed the fruit, but the federal standard never changed with it. We introduced legislation, worked directly with FDA, and kept pushing until Washington finally listened,” Cammack said.
“I’m grateful to Secretary Kennedy and Acting Commissioner Diamantas for delivering a commonsense, science-based solution. Now, more Florida oranges can go into Florida orange juice, helping strengthen one of our state’s signature industries and ensuring this proud Florida tradition can continue for generations to come.”
Representatives of Florida’s citrus industry were also on hand and thanked the officials who lobbied for and enacted the change.
“For too long, outdated regulations have failed to reflect the realities facing Florida citrus. Citrus greening has changed our industry in ways no one could have imagined when many of these standards were written decades ago. Updating the minimum Brix standard is about modernizing regulations, so they reflect today’s science and today’s growing conditions,” said Jeb Smith, President of the Florida Farm Bureau.
Florida Citrus Mutual CEO Matt Joyner said the change would bring a valuable boost to growers.
“Florida’s citrus growers appreciate our steadfast partners, like Representative Laurel Lee, Representative Kat Cammack and Senator Ashley Moody, who have worked alongside us every step of the way to modernize the decades-old standard of identity for orange juice,” Joyner said. “With this regulatory change in place, growers can use more Florida-grown oranges to bring high-quality, nutrient-dense orange juice to breakfast tables across the nation and the world.”
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