USDA-AMS Posts Final Notice on Orange Juice Grading Revisions

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USDA-AMS Posts Final Notice on Federal Orange Juice Grading criteria Rulemaking

by: Food and Drug Law at Keller and Heckman, Keller and Heckman LLP - The Daily Intake

Saturday, July 4, 2026

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On June 25, 2026, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) posted a final notice on its rulemaking to revise orange juice grading standards. AMS addressed comments, but stated that it will publish the changes as provided in the interim final notice, released in November, 2025.
As we have previously blogged, FDA released a proposed rule to lower the required minimum Brix content in August, 2025. Then-FDA Commissioner Marty Makary spoke about the rule in a video with US Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins. Makary said that “for years, we’ve been wasting beautiful American oranges simply due to an outdated regulation.”
Later, on November 18, 2025, USDA issued an interim final rule revising its grading system and deferring to FDA’s standard of identity (SOI) for Grade B pasteurized orange juice. The revisions took effect immediately, but USDA opened a 60-day comment period.
In its final notice, USDA addressed each of the five comments it received. Three expressed support for revising the Grade B Brix allowances, and one “was not responsive to the action in the interim final notice.” The fifth comment expressed concern over how revising these standards would impact the taste or nutritional quality of orange juice products. USDA responded that, according to FDA, these changes would have minimal impacts on taste or nutritional value.
AMS plans to publish the changes at its grades and standards webpage. Instead of providing a Brix value of its own, AMS will now direct readers to FDA’s standards in 21 C.F.R. 146.140(a).