@pharmunique_: Florida’s orange industry has taken a major hit over the last couple of decades, and one of the biggest reasons is citrus greening disease, also called HLB. This disease has affected citrus trees across the state, reduced yields, impacted fruit quality, and made it much harder and more expensive for growers to keep producing at the levels Florida was once known for. But citrus greening is not the only issue. Florida growers have also had to deal with hurricanes, labor shortages, higher wages, rising production costs, declining citrus acreage, and competition from countries where oranges can sometimes be produced for less. According to UF/IFAS, Florida orange production dropped about 82% between 2000 and 2022. During that same time, U.S. fresh orange imports increased from about 103 million pounds to 509 million pounds. That is why when you walk through the grocery store and actually look at the stickers, you may see oranges from places like Mexico, Chile, South Africa, or even California instead of Florida. Now, this does not mean Florida oranges are gone. You can still find Florida-grown oranges. But just because you are shopping in Florida does not automatically mean the oranges in front of you were grown here. Also people may not realize that Florida has historically produced a lot of oranges for juice and processing, while California produces a much larger share of the fresh oranges you see sold in grocery stores. So next time you are buying oranges, check the sticker. You might be surprised by where they actually came from. Source: University of Florida IFAS, The United States Orange Industry: Declining Production and Climbing Imports #creatorsearchinsights #oranges #groceryshopping

Dominique 🥬

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Saturday 15 August 2026 17:47:53 GMT