Citrus greening
Is an incurable bacterial disease that can be spread in orange plantations via two different insects.
Makes the fruits bitter and stop ripening. They become green, misshapen and unfit for sale.
Citrus trees affected by the disease usually die within a few years.
Source: Food companies
The plant disease citrus greening, or the yellow dragon’s disease in Swedish, affects citrus fruits and has increased dramatically, writes The food companies in a press release.
Swedish food companies that produce and sell orange juice can have big problems when the disease kills the citrus plants.
Ikea’s customers thought they were drinking juice – had to be taken to hospital
The situation may worsen
The industry organization the Swedish Juice Association expects the situation to worsen. In orange-growing countries such as the USA, Spain and Brazil, extreme weather is a fact. There, harvests are negatively affected by hurricanes, more rain and drought. Citrus greening is the main cause of reduced production volumes of oranges.
“The shortage means that it will unfortunately have a big impact on the availability of orange juice in the shops,” says Magnus Berndtsson, Chairman of the Swedish Juice Association and CEO of Eckes Granini Sweden.
There is still no cure for citrus greening
“There is a lot of innovation going on at the juice companies, where new drinks with other fruit and berry flavors are continuously launched in the trade,” says Magnus Berndtsson.