YOKOHAMA - Orange prices have surged worldwide due to poor harvests, forcing some stores to stop selling orange juice altogether. Amid the growing shortage, a new product has emerged in Japan: an orange-flavored juice made without using any oranges.
At a supermarket in Yokohama, a look at the beverage shelves shows the impact of the price spike.
Reporter: "This orange juice being sold here is priced at 431 yen including tax."
The cost is roughly double that of apple juice of the same size. Even among different manufacturers, only orange juice made from 100% fruit appears significantly more expensive than other juices.
Koji Kubota, food buyer at Super Celcio Wadamachi store, explained that the situation has changed dramatically in a short time.
Kubota: "About two years ago, most manufacturers sold apple and orange juice at the same price. But starting around a year ago, companies raised orange juice prices all at once. Some manufacturers have even stopped producing it entirely, so something quite extraordinary is happening."
The main cause is poor harvests in major orange-producing countries such as Brazil, which have suffered from unfavorable weather in recent years. The weak yen has further worsened the situation. Japan relies on imports for about 90% of the orange juice used by domestic manufacturers, and the price of imported juice has nearly quadrupled over the past five years.
Shoppers are beginning to feel the strain.
Customer: "It's expensive. It's getting hard to buy."
Another shopper said: "My child asked me to buy orange juice today. They really like it, but it's becoming harder to buy. Prices are rising for everything, so it hurts."
The so-called "orange shock" is also affecting juice stands.
Customer from Canada: "Good! Very fresh."
The shop specializes in freshly made 100% juices prepared after an order is placed. However, a look at the menu reveals that orange juice is now listed with a market price.
Kazunari Arai of Ozawa Fruits said the store had little choice.
Arai: "Before, we had a fixed price listed, but orange prices became so high that selling it normally became difficult, so we switched to market price."
As a result, the shop now prepares orange juice only when an order is placed. Previously it sold for 500 yen, but on the day of the interview the market price had climbed to 1,200 yen.
Customer: "Since it's market price, I hesitate to order it."
Against this backdrop, beverage maker Kagome has stepped in with a new approach.
Yosuke Kondo, chief staff member in Kagome's beverage planning department, said the company feared orange juice might disappear from everyday life.
Kondo: "We felt a sense of urgency that orange juice could stop being something people easily enjoy, so we moved forward with developing a solution."
The result is a 100% juice that tastes like orange juice—despite containing no oranges at all.
Kondo explained that the key ingredient is carrot.
Kondo: "The main component is carrot, specifically a yellow carrot variety we produce called 'ki-ninjin.'"
These New Zealand-grown yellow carrots are known for their light, citrus-like freshness. The juice blends them with pineapple and apple in carefully balanced proportions.
News caster Ayu Yamauchi sampled the drink.
Yamauchi: "Ah—orange juice! It tastes like orange juice. But in the aftertaste, you can faintly sense vegetables. I don't taste carrot at all. It really feels like orange juice."
By breaking down the flavor and aroma components of oranges into numerical data and recreating them with proprietary technology, Kagome succeeded in producing an orange-flavored juice without using oranges.
The product will sell for about 140 yen for a 195-milliliter bottle and is scheduled to go on sale next Tuesday.
Source: TBS
