Orange juice: don’t be fooled

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No one is impressed by the news about rising prices for olive oil. But look, the price of orange juice has also increased sharply. And in connection with this, all sorts of “manipulations” with the drink and fooling clients/consumers occur.

Cretan agricultural producers report that the rise in prices for oranges is associated with an epidemic that has affected plantations in Latin America. As a result, concentrated juice on shelves became 140% more expensive. Juice prices have increased by more than 36% over the past two years, reaching 1.64 euros. From August to March, the price of a liter of concentrated juice increased by 1.02 euros:

• August 2023: €1.72.
• January 2024: €1.76.
• February 2024: €2.29.
• March 2024: €2.74.

Prices for some packaged juices have also increased. From September to March the cost increased by:

• September 2022: €0.35.
• November 2023: €0.43.
• March 2024: €0.66.

A reminder to those who I decided to treat myself to freshly squeezed orange juice in a cafe. Attention, now to the word fresh (φρεσκο) orange juice (χυμούς πορτοκάλι) you need to add a clarification: freshly squeezed (φρεσκοστυμμένο χυμό πορτοκαλιού). Otherwise, for the same price (about 7 euros per glass), they may well bring you defrosted juice, which in taste is very different from freshly squeezed juice, and, besides this, of course, it contains a bunch of preservatives. Do you need it?

By the way, it’s important: for 7 euros you can buy almost 10(!) kg of oranges. And squeeze them out calmly at home, in the kitchen. In Greece, fresh and frozen products have a significant difference in price. For example, fresh fish (kg) can cost 60 euros, and the same frozen fish – 5-8 euros/kg. That’s such a big difference.

Moreover, the waiter will be right, this is fresh (freshly defrosted) juice. After all, you didn’t specify what exactly you want! In short, don’t let yourself be deceived or made a fool (by the way, this trick, defrosted juice, has now become very popular. After all, tourists are unlikely to be able to distinguish between these two drinks. And who wants to quarrel with the waiters…).

Frozen orange juice arrives in Greece in columns of ice from other countries. When defrosting, vitamins and taste are lost. To do this, all sorts of chemicals are added to the ice (author’s note).

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