Orange juice consumption in fourth year of decline

It is now half a decade since orange juice’s popularity began to fall, from 8.6m in 2010, representing 48% of that survey, to just over 7m (37%) today.  

Although the top three brands remain the same, and in the same order, as the 2011 study, all are now consumed by fewer people each week: Berri (now drunk by 7.5% of Australians, down from 13.3%); Golden Circle (5.6%, down from 8.0%), and Daily Juice (5.2%, down from 7.2%).

Big supermarket gains​

As is the case with many food and beverage categories, the home brands of the two supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths have become more popular, with each overtaking Just Juice. Moreover, 3.4% of Australians now drink one of Woolworths’ in-store varieties in an average week (up from 3.2% in 2010) and 2.9% drink Coles-brand juice (up from 2.4%). 

Nudie is one of the few brands that are consumed more now (1.8%) than they were four years ago (0.2%).

Angela Smith, Group Account Director – Consumer Products, Roy Morgan Research, says:

“Different juice drink brands appeal to different consumers, however Berri’s lead is consistent across all… communities​,” said Angela Smith of Roy Morgan Research.

Horses for courses​

Although it is a close race between the leading brands, each one’s demographics vary: Metrotechs are the most likely to drink Nudie; Battlers opt for Woolworths’ home brand, and Leading Lifestyles the most likely to choose Daily Juice.

“It is notable that despite the popularity of packaged juice being clearly on the decline, the proportion of Australians now with a juice extractor in the home (26.4%) is virtually unchanged compared with 2010. Of course, whether or not they use them regularly is a whole other story​,” added Smith. 

Australia is not alone in seeing a drop in demand. In the United States, orange juice futures plummeted to their lowest point in six months, leading to lowered prices.

Farmers there also have to contend with a deadly citrus disease known as “greening”, which makes fruit inedible. In both countries, declining consumption has been blamed on greater dietary awareness. A high sugar content has damaged the reputation of orange juice as a health drink, while it is being surrounded on beverage shelves by newly popular breakfast drinks, including coconut water, açai juice and energy drinks.