Facts about “Fresh Squeezed 100%” Orange Juice?

If you are like me, you probably are in a human physicality. Further, you may like baseball, or.. Orange Juice. I was that guy when I was a teen that used to come home from playing sports and instead of going for water I’d clean half the Tropicana carton because it just tasted so good. And come on, its fresh squeezed 100% orange juice. The side of the carton says the only ingredient is 100% fresh squeezed oranges!

As I got older I asked that question “How the heck do they manage to keep oranges in season all year round for these juices?” Possible answer, maybe they were unbelievably good at strategically timing the various orange types in various countries and they were able to some how make it happen. But that was obviously extremely unlikely. Then it hit me. Have you ever noticed that it doesn’t matter what carton, from what store, during any part of the year, when you pop off that safety seal and taste that first sip each brand always tastes EXACTLY THE SAME! Whether its Tropicana, Minute Maid or Oasis etc. they all have their own taste that manages to stay EXACTLY the same year after year. This was the tip off for me. This is when I started to realize there is absolutely no way this stuff is “100% fresh squeezed oranges”

So what is it exactly? How do they get that same flavor all the time? Answer: Flavor Packs.

You see this world is about profit, its about competition and doing things in as an efficient as a way possible to maximize profit, keep costs low and of course offer people unhealthy products whenever possible. How did those ideals make there way into something so innocent and wholesome like orange juice???

Easy, it makes it’s way into almost everything!

The method used today to make our orange juice we see in the lovely “Not From concentrate” boxes involves  a process called aseptic storage. This process involves a step known as “deaeration” which involves removing all oxygen from the juice so it doesnt oxidize in the extremely large million gallon tanks the juice is stored in for up to a year. Along with all the oxygen, all flavor is removed from the juice as a result of this process. Conclusion, very few people would be interested in tasting the juice direct from the large holding tanks.

So how do they go from tasteless, stored away juice to “fresh squeezed” goodness in a box? (Note: We all know actually taking an orange and wingin in through one of those manual juicers is the way to go!) This is where we go back to flavor packs. Juice companies hire flavor and fragrance companies to build their juice from that point forward. Yes, that’s right, the flavor is designed by the same companies that make perfumes and colognes.  The reason why this doesn’t have to be listed on the box is because technically the packs are still made from oils of the orange. However, when asked about how natural these flavor packs are, many in the industry say the flavor packs resemble nothing close to what you would find in nature.

So that’s it! That is how they manage to pump out that same tasting orange juice year after year in huge quantities no matter what the season is. Its juice stripped of its natural flavor and then pumped with unnatural flavor packs designed by the same company who made the cologne Jim wears at work that make your eyes tear up every time he passes by your desk.

Next time you are at the super market, try looking for an organic juice that is actually all natural. Or be a trooper and make your own! At least you will know how its made!

Saving you from unhealthy good tasting juice, one word at a time.. that is until you try real fresh squeezed orange juice and realize the other stuff is not so good.

Source: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2009/05/ask-an-academic-orange-juice.html