For the first time since 2019, the Department connected face to face last week with hundreds of registered dietitians to share the health benefits of Florida Orange Juice.

The Today’s Dietitian Spring Symposium, held in Bonita Springs, included an opportunity to educate RDs at an exhibit booth and present recent research on the impact of 100% orange juice on inflammation and oxidative stress. The presentation was led by FDOC’s Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Gail Rampersaud and Dr. Taylor Wallace, a food nutrition researcher and principal investigator of the FDOC-funded study on the subject.

Why this work is crucial: In a recent survey of RDs, about half said they were not aware of the health benefits of hesperidin or its impact on inflammation. Additionally, many RDs do not recommend using 100% orange as an additional way to help meet the recommended servings of fruit. Ensuring that orange juice remains an option for the many adults who do not consume even half of the recommended daily fruit intake is a vital part of the Department’s educational outreach.

In addition to ongoing digital efforts, the Department plans to connect with RDs again at the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo in Orlando this October.

The FCC met earlier this month with a focus on what’s ahead.

In Scientific Research, the expedited propagation program is under exploration. This program is intended to quickly produce and commercialize trees showing HLB tolerance or resistance and will focus heavily on the Donaldson and other escaped trees. More to come on this in June.

According to Economic and Market Research, sales of OJ are at or near 2018-19 levels, but with ongoing inflation and production challenges, reinforcing the reasons consumers should purchase orange juice remains crucial.

Global Marketing is turning 2021-22 insights into strategic shifts for its “The Original Wellness Drink” campaign. Driving awareness and sales remains a top priority while tactics and retail partners will be adjusted to fit changing consumer behaviors.

The preliminary 2022-23 Budget includes $6.9 million in CATF and $20.625 million in general revenue funding from the State of Florida, pending Governor approval, to support marketing, research, and administration. Plus, there’s an additional $3.9 million to support international programs from the USDA. Commissioners will vote on the preliminary budget in June.

The Department’s eCommerce program continues to drive sales of Florida Orange Juice, reaching $63.8 million last week.



The latest FDOC Nielsen retail sales report for the period ending April 23 indicates sales of total OJ are up by 2.5% compared to the pre-pandemic level of 2019. The next Nielsen report is expected later this week.

4 | See you in Bonita

Attend the June FCC meeting in Bonita Springs on June 15 at 9 a.m. at Florida Citrus Mutual’s 2022 Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference. 

Looking for previous editions of 5 Minutes with the FDOC? Click here.

Florida Department of Citrus | FloridaCitrus.org