Spectrum News: Inflation hits frozen orange juice
UC economics professor says disease is among the factors contributing to rising costs
A number of factors have caused the price of frozen orange juice to spike recently, a University of Cincinnati economics professor told Spectrum News.
Erwin Erhardt
In the past year, the cost of a 12-ounce can of frozen orange juice concentrate has increased 40%.
Among the reasons for the increase are a sugar shortage and rising costs for labor, transportation and packaging.
“The third factor is a disease,” said Erwin Erhardt, PhD, an associate professor - educator in the economics department of UC’s Carl H. Lindner College of Business. “It’s striking the trees down in Florida, at least it’s called Yellow Dragon disease, and it’s carried by a Soliday, a small insect that feeds off the sap of the oranges and it turns some green and bitter and the trees eventually die once they’re hit by this. So they’re working on trying to control that.”
It's not all bad news for orange juice lovers, though. The supply of Valencia oranges, which are used to make orange juice, is expected to increase by approximately 25% this year, Erhardt said. The increased supply could cause prices to level off or even drop.
Featured image at top: An orange tree. Photo/Tyler Shaw via Unsplash
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