If the Price Keeps Rising, Here's How it Happened

By Timmy Watson in Food on Dec 2, 2006 9:34PM

Minute Maid successfully got us to believe that orange juice, no matter how much sugar it has, keeps us from getting sick and makes us stronger. We were at the grocery store recently and to our surprise a gallon was $5.99. At a glass a day, this can get pretty pricey and the future isn't looking so hot.

The combination of a terrible hurricane season last year paired with citrus canker disease (fruit herpes?) has made the orange crop for 2006 and 2007 the smallest since the 80's. Because of the hurricane winds, the disease spread rapidly affecting a large portion of the crop and preventing the planting of new trees.

The average price for orange juice is currently $5.09/gallon, up 14% from last year. The owner of the Wilmette Food Mart told the New York Times, “In any week here, I’d sell three dozen of those 64-ounce bottles,” Mr. Shah said. “But now, lucky to sell six or seven. Total.” We must say we haven't totally given up on o.j., but we are definitely a little more protective over who gets a sip of ours.