On 6th March 2018, the provision raising the orange juice content in soft drinks produced in Italy from 12 to 20% was notified to the European Commission. It will replace an obsolete 1961 law which established that citrus drinks had to contain a minimum juice percentage of 12%.
At the moment, as the regulation establishes that drinks produced before its entry into force can still be commercialised until stock lasts, consumers must make sure the effective minimum juice content is 20%.
While the change will have a beneficial effect on consumers, it seems international orange juice exporter countries such as Brazil and Spain will be favoured.
FreshPlaza talked to both Coldiretti and a sector representative for an assessment.
Lorenzo Bazzana is the manager for Coldiretti's fresh produce segment. "We believe in reporting the origin of juice on labels. Just like it happened for tomatoes, pasta and rice, the country of cultivation, processing and packaging must be clearly stated. Now we'll have to see what happens regarding the gap on traceability and the phytosanitary safety of incoming products."
"At the moment, other northern European countries are against stricter checks, especially for oranges from South Africa and South America. We're not pro duties - as we are for the free movement of goods - however, there must be a limit for countries exporting potentially-contaminated produce that carry out no checks, especially as the food safety level and respect for workers' rights is not the same as ours."
According to Orogel director Salvatore Imbesi, however, the new regulation would actually penalise a sector that is already suffering. The Sicilian company is a leading juice producer.
"Coldiretti rejoices about bringing the minimum juice content to 20%, thinking it will benefit both consumers and producers. But it's not true, it will just benefit those who import juice from other countries."
According to the entrepreneur, this is due to various reasons: "first of all, Italy does not produce the quantity of blonde orange juice needed to meet demand. Secondly, Italy sells at a price that does not cover production costs, as the price is established according to international quotations."
"As a consequence, more juice will be imported and beverages containing orange juice will be packaged abroad. We should force producers to report the quantity and variety of the citrus produced, commercialised and processed and the processing industry to report the quantity of domestic citrus processed."
"What is more, packagers should be forced to start using words such as 'Italian citrus' for products that only contain juice obtained from the processing of domestic oranges. A law is also needed to force Community countries, should they for example use an image of a blood orange, to guarantee a minimum blood orange juice content of 50%, otherwise it constitutes false advertising. This would make consumers aware of what they are drinking and guarantee same rules for all."