National Orange Juice Day

The story

National Orange Juice Day celebrates one of America’s favorite fruit juices. Most orange juice comes from sweet oranges, but mandarins and clementines are also popular, especially in sparkling drinks.

Orange juice is produced in different ways. The most common is frozen concentrated orange juice (FCOJ), where juice is pasteurized, deoxygenated, evaporated, and stored at low temperatures before being reconstituted with water. Not-from-concentrate (NFC) juice skips the freezing process but still undergoes pasteurization and long-term storage. Freshly squeezed juice has the most flavor and nutrients but the shortest shelf life.

Orange juice’s history is tied to mass production. In the early 1900s, it was a seasonal luxury. With industrial farming, marketers sought ways to sell surplus fruit. By WWII, the U.S. military developed FCOJ to prevent scurvy, making processed juice a household staple.

Though once marketed as a health drink, modern research highlights its high sugar content. While a glass of OJ provides vitamin C, potassium, and antioxidants, it also contains 20.8 grams of sugar—comparable to soda. Unlike eating an orange, drinking juice floods the body with sugar, lacking fiber to slow absorption.

Today, fresh juice is making a comeback, but for the best health benefits, you’re better off eating the whole fruit!