The price of orange juice in the UK has skyrocketed, with a typical supermarket own-label carton rising from 76p to £1.79 in five years – a 134% increase since 2020 and 29% in the past year alone. This surge is attributed to a "perfect storm" of factors impacting global orange supply.

• A glass of orange juice and lemonade at a Kent restaurant cost £9, with the orange juice itself accounting for £5.30.
• Global orange concentrate prices increased from $1 (75p) to a record $5.30 per pound by the end of last year, driven by five years of poor crops due to severe drought and citrus greening disease in Brazil and Florida.
• Manufacturers are increasingly blending orange juice with cheaper alternatives like mango or mandarin concentrate to maintain traditional sweetness and cut costs, as seen with Tropicana's "essentials" blends.
• Trade tensions, including President Trump's 10% tariff on orange juice from Brazil, and new packaging regulations have further contributed to price hikes.
• While a recovery in Brazil's orange harvest offers hope for price normalisation, the concentration of the market in a few large producers and a 30% decline in global consumption from its peak **two decades ago** complicate a return to lower prices.