by DEE-ANN DURBIN and TATIANA POLLASTRI AP Business Writer Brazil — Orange juice prices have always been volatile falling when bumper harvests create an oversupply of oranges and rising when frost or a hurricane knocks out fruit trees But the record-high prices the world is seeing for OJ right now may be on the table for a while since the diseases and extreme weather ravaging orange groves in some top-producing countries aren't easily resolved problems the world's largest exporter of orange juice is likely to be the worst in 36 years due to flooding and drought a citrus growers' organization in Sao Paulo state "The concern isn't just that the price of juice is going up The concern is not having the juice," Oscar Simonetti Florida's already diminished orange production fell 62% in the 2022-2023 season after Hurricane Ian further battered a crop that was struggling due to an invasive pest Drought also cut Spain's orange production last year a 12-ounce can of frozen orange juice concentrate cost an average of $4.27 in April 42% more than during the same month a year earlier where the British Fruit Juice Association says supplies are at 50-year lows the price of fresh orange juice rose 25% over the past year according to consumer research company Nielsen Those price increases are turning off inflation-weary consumers Orange juice consumption has fallen 15% to 25% in major global markets — including the U.S and the European Union — over the last year a Dutch bank that focuses on food and agriculture a principal for fresh food client insights at market research company Circana said consumers are increasingly getting their morning fruit intake from energy drinks smoothies and other beverages besides orange juice "The price gets high and people consider other alternatives," she said Global orange juice consumption was already declining before the current price hikes due to competition from other drinks and public concern about the amount of sugar in fruit juices it should help balance supply with demand and keep prices from rising much further But it expects limited supplies will keep prices elevated for some time orange juice is disappearing from shelves altogether McDonald's in Australia removed orange juice from its menu in favor of an "orange fruit drink" that contains 35% orange juice expects to stop shipping its Sunkist brand orange juice – which uses juice from Brazil – by the end of June because of low juice supplies from Brazil based in the northern Japanese city of Sapporo stopped shipments of 1-liter (about a quart) and 450-milliliter (15.2-ounce) packs of orange juice which it sells under an agreement with Dole Some companies are considering using alternatives to oranges in their products introduced a mandarin juice product in February citing the high price of regular juicing oranges But others are tight-lipped about their plans Several major orange juice makers – including Dole which makes the Simply and Minute Maid brands – declined to comment or failed to respond to inquires from The Associated Press The roots of the current supply troubles stretch back decades an invasive bug called the Asian citrus psyllid arrived in Florida injecting bacteria from its saliva into the state's orange trees The bacteria slowly kills the tree by destroying its root systems There's no known cure once a tree is infected before the disease – called citrus greening – hit Florida the state produced 200 million boxes of oranges a professor of entomology and the director of the University of Florida's Citrus Research and Education Center said no type of orange tree is totally resistant to greening but scientists have been trying to breed trees that are more tolerant of it Citrus greening arrived in Brazil around the same time as Florida but it has progressed more slowly there because Brazil has much larger orange groves Bugs spread the disease by flying from tree to tree Fundecitrus estimates that 38% of Brazil's orange trees had citrus greening in 2023 estimates that 20% of his production is affected by greening Oranges on affected trees don't ripen properly and fall off early Shifting production to other locations isn't necessarily an option and the citrus psyllid doesn't fare as well in the state's climate But California also doesn't get the rainfall needed for juicing oranges; its oranges are usually sold for eating Another issue impacting orange harvests is extreme weather which is becoming more common as the world warms due to climate change resulting in lower output and poorer fruit quality the impacts of El Niño have been particularly dramatic with a historic drought in the Amazon and devastating floods in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul "The temperatures are high during the day The plant can't stand this temperature difference," Simonetti said Brazil's 2024-2025 harvest is expected to yield 232 million boxes of oranges "We have never seen a harvest like this," Vinícius Trombin the coordinator of Fundecitrus' crop estimates survey To make up for the anticipated smaller yield some producers are considering blending oranges with tangerines to make juice "The consumer wants an orange juice made up 100% out of oranges," he said She thinks blends with other fruits might help hold down costs and revive consumer interest in orange juice "The idea of multiple flavors is very popular and is a way to stand out," she said "You've got to keep people engaged it's really hard to get people back." AP Writers Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo and Eleonore Hughes in Rio de Janeiro contributed FILE - Cashiers process purchases at a Walmart Supercenter in North Bergen are stepping up discounting heading into the summer of 2024 as they hope to offer frustrated shoppers some relief from higher prices and entice them to open their wallets.(AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez FILE - People walk towards a Target store in Clifton as they hope to offer frustrated shoppers some relief from higher prices and entice them to open their wallets “Retailers recognize that unless they pull out some stops on pricing they are going to have difficulty holding on to the customers they got,” Neil Saunders managing director of consulting and data analysis firm GlobalData “The consumer really has had enough of inflation and they’re starting to take action in terms of where they shop While discounts are an everyday tool in retail Saunders said these aggressive price cuts that cover thousands of items announced by a number of retailers represent a “major shift” in recent strategy He noted most companies talked about price increases in the past two or three years and the cut mark the first big “price war” since before inflation started taking hold and we’re going to manage our (profit) margins and we’re going to be the Walmart that we’ve always been,” CEO Doug McMillon told analysts earlier this month a large operator of convenience stores in rural areas and small towns is launching its most aggressive deals in terms of their depth in roughly 20 years for both members of its free loyalty program and other customers members of Arko’s free loyalty program who buy two 12-packs of Pepsi beverages get a free pizza The promotions kicked off May 15 and are due to end Sept Kotler said he focused on essential items that people use to feed their families after observing that the cumulative effects of higher gas prices and inflation in other areas had customers hold back compared to a year ago we have seen the trend of consumers cutting back and consumers reducing their purchases,” he said crafts chain Michaels last month reduced prices of frequently purchased items like paint The price reductions ranged from 15% to up to 40% Michaels said the cuts are intended to be permanent Many retailers said their goal was to offer some relief for shoppers But Michaels said its new discounts brought prices for some things down to where they were in 2019 “Our intention with these cuts is to ensure we’re delivering value to the customer,” The Michaels Companies said ”We see it as an investment in customer loyalty more than anything else.” Target said it was difficult to compare what its price-reduced products cost now to a specific time frame since inflation levels are different for each item and the reductions varied by item said the average price of a two-liter bottle of soda in April was $2.27 That compares with $1.53 in the same month five years ago A pound of white bread cost an average of $2 last month but $1.29 in April 2019 One pound of ground chuck that averaged $5.28 in April cost $3.91 five years ago retailers are trying to get customers back to their stores Target this month posted its fourth consecutive quarterly decline in comparable sales — those from stores or digital channels operating at least 12 months the share of online sales for the cheapest items across many categories increased from April 2019 to the same month this year which covers more than 1 trillion visits to U.S the market share for the cheapest groceries went from 38% in April 2019 to 48% last month while the share for the most expensive groceries went down from 22% to 9% over the same time period Saunders doesn’t think retailers are raising prices on other items to make up for the ones they lowered since doing that would bring a backlash from customers Target declined to disclose details but said its summer price promotion was incorporated into the company’s projected profit range which falls below analysts’ expectations at the low end as well as the first comprehensive set of guidance on actions that companies NGOs and others can take to sustain the world’s forests we are working to conserve the biodiversity and health of all forestland including those that are not used to make renewable More from International Paper Company Brazil (TND) — Brazil’s government on Monday launched a lawsuit against several landowners to seek compensation for damage to the Jamanxim National Forest according to government-run media outlet AgenciaBrasil in collaboration with the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) It accuses the landowners of causing lasting damage through deforestation ICMBio claimed to have discovered 3,000 cattle in the deforested areas which had not been registered with the agricultural surveillance agency Brazil Attorney General Jorge Messias vowed to aggressively prosecute the defendants any type of environmental violation,” he said “Especially in areas of conservation and environmental preservation Damage calculations were based on the “social cost” of greenhouse emissions in the damaged areas California leveled a complaint against energy companies to hold them accountable for the impacts of climate change That lawsuit aimed to create a fund to pay for future damages caused by climate-related disasters “It is time they pay to abate the harm they have caused,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said We will meet the moment and fight tirelessly on behalf of all Californians in particular those who live in environmental justice communities.” Follow Jackson Walker on X at @_jlwalker_ for the latest trending national news MOGI GUACU, Brazil — Orange juice prices have always been volatile, falling when bumper harvests create an oversupply of oranges and rising when frost or a hurricane knocks out fruit trees But the record-high prices the world is seeing for OJ right now may be on the table for a while, since the diseases and extreme weather ravaging orange groves in some top-producing countries aren’t easily resolved problems A worker harvests oranges Thursday on a farm in Mogi Guacu This year’s harvest in Brazil the world’s largest exporter of orange juice a citrus growers’ organization in Sao Paulo state “The concern isn’t just that the price of juice is going up The concern is not having the juice,” Oscar Simonetti Orange farmer Oscar Simonetti examines his fruits with some affected by citrus greening bacteria on Thursday at his plantation in Mogi Guacu “The concern isn't just that the price of juice is going up The concern is not having the juice,” he said where the harvest is likely to be the worst in 36 years Those price increases are turning off inflation-weary consumers Jonna Parker, a principal for fresh food client insights at market research company Circana, said consumers are increasingly getting their morning fruit intake from energy drinks Global orange juice consumption was already declining before the current price hikes due to competition from other drinks and public concern about the amount of sugar in fruit juices Workers harvest oranges Thursday on a farm in Mogi Guacu McDonald’s in Australia removed orange juice from its menu in favor of an “orange fruit drink” that contains 35% orange juice expects to stop shipping its Sunkist brand orange juice by the end of June because of low juice supplies from Brazil But others are tight-lipped about their plans. Dole, Tropicana Uncle Matt’s and Coca-Cola declined to comment or failed to respond to inquiries A spoiled orange hangs on a branch Thursday in a farm in Mogi Guacu where some 38% of orange trees had citrus greening in 2023 The roots of the current supply troubles stretch back decades. In 2005, an invasive bug called the Asian citrus psyllid arrived in Florida, injecting bacteria from its saliva into the state’s orange trees. The bacteria slowly kills the tree by destroying its root systems. There’s no known cure once a tree is infected The impact has been devastating. In 2004, before the disease — called citrus greening — hit Florida a professor of entomology and the director of the University of Florida’s Citrus Research and Education Center Fundecitrus estimates that 38% of Brazil’s orange trees had citrus greening in 2023 Oranges on affected trees don’t ripen properly and fall off early Shifting production to other locations isn’t necessarily an option and the citrus psyllid doesn’t fare as well in the state’s climate But California also doesn’t get the rainfall needed for juicing oranges; its oranges are usually sold for eating Last year, nine heat waves swept across Brazil, resulting in lower output and poorer fruit quality. This year, the impacts of El Niño have been particularly dramatic, with a historic drought in the Amazon and devastating floods in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul Brazil’s 2024-2025 harvest is expected to yield 232 million boxes of oranges “We have never seen a harvest like this,” Vinícius Trombin the coordinator of Fundecitrus’ crop estimates survey Respond: Write a letter to the editor | Write a guest opinion Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly DOGE claims to have found hundreds of millions of dollars in fraudulent unemployment claims One problem: Federal investigators already found … The president previously said he could fire Jerome Powell if he wanted to frustrated by the Fed pausing cuts to short-term interest rates Americans' confidence in the economy slumped for the fifth straight month to the lowest level since the onset of the COIVD-19 pandemic President Donald Trump acknowledged Wednesday his tariffs could result in fewer and costlier products in the United States but insisted China … Trump's tariffs threaten to become a tough nut to crack for a small German company that produces painstakingly hand-crafted nutcrackers that a… Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device O endereço abaixo não existe na globo.com The ad-free version is ready for purchase on iOS mobile app today we couldn't find that page";var n=e.querySelector("h2");return n&&n.remove(),{staticContent:e,title:t}},d=function(e){var t=document.createElement("button");return t.innerText=e,t.classList.add("error-page-button"),t},f=function(e){var t=document.createElement("div");t.id="recirculation-404",t.classList.add("brand-hint-bg");var n="\n \n \n \n \n \n '.concat(e,' Tick here if you would like us to send you the author’s response a shop owner reaches into a drink display refrigerator at his convenience store in Kent A study on America’s eating habits released on Tuesday 2019 shows only slight improvement from 1999 to 2016 While adults cut down a bit on added sugars and ate marginally more whole grains they still eat too many sweetened foods and unhealthy fats CHICAGO (AP) — Americans’ diets are a little less sweet and a little crunchier but there’s still too much sugar the authors estimated there was a modest improvement over 16 years on the government’s healthy eating index That’s hardly cause for celebration — 100 is the top score Diets are still too heavy on foods that can contribute to heart disease a nutrition researcher at Tufts University near Boston “Despite observed improvements,” the authors wrote Among them: Getting Americans to cut down on snack foods butter and other foods containing saturated fats The study found these unhealthy fats increased from 11.5% to almost 12% of daily calories And while the biggest change was a small drop in added sugars The government says less than 10% of daily calories should come from added sugars Researchers think fewer sweetened sodas contributed to the decline but Zhang noted added sugars are often found in foods that don’t even seem sweet oatmeal and other whole grains are among the types of foods adults ate slightly more of each of those contributed to less than 5% of daily calories in 2016 Salt intake dipped slightly and a small decline in fruit juice contributed to a drop in low-quality carbs But these still amount to 42% of daily calories including many likely from highly processed white bread and other refined grains The study is based on in-person health surveys conducted every two years that ask adults to recall what foods they ate in the previous 24 hours adults were asked that question twice several days apart The study lists food groups rather than individual foods; for example “whole grains,” not oatmeal and “refined grains,” not white bread but Zhang said those two foods are among the most common grains in the U.S dietary guidelines recommend a “healthy eating pattern” to reduce chances of developing chronic disease The focus should be on nutrient-dense foods including vegetables low-fat dairy products; plus varied proteins sources including seafood to more than 7%; obesity rates increased during many of those years Heart disease remains the leading cause of death “Cooperation from the food industry” is key Follow AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner at @LindseyTanner FILE - An orange blossom grows alongside some ripening fruit in a grove on Dec The owner of a commercial nursery has won a $1.2 million judgment against the Florida Department of Agriculture for destroying his citrus trees in the 2000s during an attempt to stop the spread of citrus greening (AP) — The owner of a commercial nursery has won a $1.2 million judgment against the Florida Department of Agriculture in the latest verdict against the state agency for destroying citrus trees in the 2000s during an attempt to stop the spread of costly tree diseases A jury in Orlando last week determined the state agency had destroyed more than 160,000 citrus plants in an effort to stop citrus greening and Gary Mahon deserved the $1.2 million as compensation at fair market value The Department of Agriculture had argued Mahon did not deserve compensation since he could have avoided his losses by moving his citrus plants into greenhouses Mahon’s attorneys disputed that interpretation of the law Florida lawmakers passed legislation requiring citrus plant growers to sell or destroy plants not grown in greenhouses to protect the state’s citrus industry from citrus greening Citrus greening is among the biggest threats to the U.S citrus industry since infected trees produce fruits that are green The disease can eventually kill infected trees “While the Florida Legislature and Department of Agriculture meant well by passing and enforcing this law it had a catastrophic impact on citrus nursery growers,” said Alexander Clem “Our client fought for years to get justice for the thousands-upon-thousands of plants he was forced to destroy and we are thrilled he will be compensated and can move on with his life.” the Department of Agriculture said Wednesday that it would appeal the case “This case has been long fought by our department and our position has not changed: the damage to Mr Mahon’s citrus crop was a direct result of his failure to come into compliance with state regulations,” the statement said Florida’s citrus industry has been threatened with greening and another disease called citrus canker Citrus canker can cause the leaves and fruit on citrus trees to drop prematurely and create unappealing lesions on the fruit The lesions leak bacterial cells that can spread to other trees by wind state agriculture workers destroyed citrus trees in an effort to stop their destructive spread won a judgement of $42 million against the state for destroying their citrus trees Tens of thousands of homeowners in Broward Lee and Palm Beach counties also have won class action lawsuits against the state over their destroyed trees A case in Miami-Dade County is still pending FILE - The symbol for Pepsico appears on a screen at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York PepsiCo will sell Tropicana and other juices to a private equity firm in exchange for pretax proceeds of $3.3 billion PepsiCo will have a 39% non-controlling stake in a newly formed joint venture in the deal with PAI Partners .(AP Photo/Richard Drew PepsiCo will sell Tropicana and other juices to a private equity firm in a $3.3 billion deal The New York drink and snack company will keep a 39% non-controlling stake in a newly formed joint venture in the deal with PAI Partners The sale reflects the industry’s uncertainty about demand for fruit juice as consumers look for healthier options with less sugar head of soft drinks at Euromonitor International “This deal reflects the desire of the industry to focus and innovate around a smaller core of categories and brands coffee and the staple carbonated soft drinks,” Telford said juice sales volumes actually rose last year as more people enjoyed breakfast at home during the pandemic and sought the immunity benefits of vitamin C But that was a blip in a longer-term decline Overall juice sales fell 3% between 2015 and 2020 the managing partner of Beverage Marketing Corp The group does not see that trend changing has also been shedding slow-selling brands over the last year so it can focus on stronger performers But Coke is holding on to its Minute Maid and Simply juice brands for now The juice business delivered about $3 billion in revenue for PepsiCo last year but at operating profit margins that were below the company’s overall margins Pepsi said falling juice sales offset gains for other products in North America sports drinks like Gatorade and energy drinks like Propel PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Ramon Laguarta said in a prepared statement Tuesday that the deal “will free us to concentrate on our current portfolio of diverse offerings including growing our portfolio of healthier snacks PepsiCo bought Tropicana in 1998 and the Naked juice brand It was heading in another direction by 2018 when it bought SodaStream has the option to sell certain juice businesses in Europe The deal is expected to close late this year or early next year Pepsi shares were flat in early trading Tuesday AP Business Writer Dee-Ann Durbin contributed to this report acrid smell hits you just outside the main entrance it wafts on the air under a brilliant Brazilian sun papermakers have a saying about that smell their Brazilian counterparts say the same thing “The smell we say is money,” said Eduardo Possamai Papermaking — an industry that has buoyed Maine’s economy for 100 years — is taking its turn on the global stage the industry is spreading to developing nations where labor and fiber are cheaper and corporate investment flows — ominous signs for Maine its papermakers saw the potential in eucalyptus trees they honed a species that makes Brazil the top producer of market pulp in the world coated papers made at the mills in Rumford and Jay Maine’s spruce and fir forests produce the long fibers needed for the pages of Cosmopolitan Sports Illustrated and Seventeen magazines But for other mills such as those in Woodland Millinocket and Old Town — which make paper for printers business forms and tissue — Brazil is a competitive powerhouse •labor costs that are a small fraction of those in the U.S.; •fiber costs that are little more than half of those in the U.S.; because of Brazil’s independence from foreign oil a genetically enhanced eucalyptus species that grows to maturity five times faster than Maine’s pulp trees — almost an inch a day but we didn’t have much technology 30 years ago,” said Ludwig Moldan “But we invested a lot in eucalyptus to improve its wood quality That’s our great secret.” Seeing the forest and the trees Just inside the main entrance at the Mogi GuaEcu mill are three silver-and-blue motor coaches waiting for the end of a shift to take workers home — a perk for many of the 1,300 people who work there A canopied stage sits outside the cafeteria Bright posters designed by children of the staff tout safety precautions everywhere the Mogi GuaEcu mill was built to take advantage of the surrounding natural resources: its namesake river (Mogi GuaEcu means “river of large snakes” in the Tipi language) and available land the Mogi GuaEcu mill is enjoying something Maine papermakers haven’t seen in a long while: huge capital investments IP also owned the Androscoggin Mill in Jay and another mill in Arapoti Both were sold as part of the Tennessee-based manufacturer’s decision to focus only on uncoated paper — the kind they specialize in at Mogi GuaEcu IP is sinking $60 million into upgrades at Mogi GuaEcu One project will eliminate chlorine from the paper-making process and the other is streamlining its effluent system It’s just a snippet of the $12 billion that paper companies have invested in their Brazil facilities in the last decade and the $14 billion they pledge going into the next “We are one of the most profitable mills inside IP,” said Luiz Carlos Rehder “We are profitable because of the engagement of our employees.” The mill is already a star It earns a 94 percent efficiency rating within IP’s corporate kingdom of 116 mills; the average is in the high 80s It also hasn’t had a lost-time incident in its manufacturing plant in 689 days and counting The average overall incident rate for IP is 1.2 but a renewed focus on safety brought the rating down to 1.6 in August but tipped their caps to their Brazilian cousins “Verso has a plan and is working hard to get to the level that the Brazilian mills achieve,” said William Cohen challenges to Brazil’s pulp and paper industry yet 35 percent of operating costs go toward taxes A cumbersome government with suffocating layers of bureaucracy makes doing business in Brazil difficult — so much so that it is considered the least business-friendly country in South America The focus of intense global criticism for its lack of protection of the Amazon rain forest Brazil now has stringent environmental regulations The pulp and paper industry is required by law to protect native species of trees already on its land; it can only grow plantation species where native species are not growing and can only harvest plantation species for its mills The upshot: The industry manages 4.2 million acres of plantation forests and preserves another 6.4 million acres of natural forests “Between 25 and 30 percent of our land is in native species,” said Luis Fernando Silva “It is a legal requirement we take very seriously.” Brazil’s government flexes its muscle in other ways as well The law requires that workers receive vacation (four weeks minimum); long-term disability; Social Security payments; maternity leave; minimum wage ($350 reals per month — about $167 U.S. considered a livable wage); notice of layoffs; and FTGS (a form of severance pay) It also mandates a bonus of one month’s pay per year called simply the “13th.” The extra payment is usually made in two installments mill management also offers employees health insurance; profit sharing; assistance with car and homeowners insurance; free transportation to and from work; an allowance for families with disabled children; child care allowance; Christmas baskets and gifts; life insurance; meal subsidies and a pension plan Brazil’s papermakers make about $4,000 U.S “They are considered good jobs,” said Marcos Gardinali spent 13 years working at the mill in the safety and security division A shopkeeper in Mogi GuaEcu’s central plaza Gardinali remembers his mother washing his dad’s uniform two or three times to remove the paper mill smell and — more warmly — the terrific holiday parties the mill would throw for its workers it would be the dream of everyone to work inside there,” he said German auto parts maker Mahle opened a factory here a few years ago giving IP a run for the money attracting workers And two internationally renown ceramic factories still operate in Mogi GuaEcu producing tiles and other ceramics for high-end designers that carry the Italian names of the founding families who started the factories 50 years ago commercial farming and other businesses are springing up in this community of 100,000 from financial services to restaurants to car washes Yet the underpinnings of its prosperity are obvious just outside of town The fierce concentration on Maria de Fatima da Costa’s face contrasts with the gentle flutter of her scissors and the dappled sunlight that plays off her hands as she strips most of the leaves from a small green sprig Costa repeats that motion 5,000 times a day preparing the next generation of genetically enhanced eucalyptus trees for planting Methodically she moves along the long rows of sprig trays one of a team of nursery workers who will send 11 million new sprouts annually into the fields ensuring the mill a constant supply of superior fiber And it has made millions for the papermakers who use it “This is where it all begins,” said Silva as he sweeps his hand across the nursery scientists have spent the last 20 years refining eucalyptus for pulp By fusing the best attributes of two species of eucalyptus they have produced a new species that is resistant to disease it produces high-quality fiber for paper making Growing at almost two centimeters per day (about four-fifths of an inch) Urograndis allowed Brazil to export $2.9 billion in market pulp in 2005; this year making it the largest exporter of bleached hardwood pulp in the world.