Beverage Consumption in America
While orange was the most common type of fruit juice in America about fifty years ago due to is medicinal value in light of the prevention of scurvy, it is indubitable that the trend in fruit juice consumption has overly changed with time. Currently, fruit juice is the number one most common consumed type of beverage in the United States and despite certain health issues that are attributed to the consumption of fruit juices, the rate and volume of consumption of fruit juice continues to heighten, thanks to their nutritious, low fat and generally healthy nature.
The International Markets Bureau (2011) documents that, in 2010, fruit and vegetable juice worth about US$ 16 billion was consumed in the United States. While noting that the rate of growth of consumption of fruit juice in the United States has remained sluggish over the past few years (2.4%), the International Markets Bureau (2011) further asseverate that consumers are increasingly becoming health conscious, particularly towards sugared fruit and vegetable juices giving insight to why the consumption of fruit and vegetable in the health and wellness category have incessantly become more popular with a larger proportion of the American population. However, volume growth of fruit juices has been on a downward trend and is expected to decline even further. Also notable is the fact that the per capita consumption of fruit juices has declined greatly (-17%) over the last 10 years (NPD Group, 2011 as cited in The International Markets Bureau, 2011).
Apparently, orange juice is the most preferred type of fruit juice commanding a whopping 60% of the market share of fruit juices in the US. In 2010, close to US$ 9 billion worth of 100%-Orange juice was consumed in the US. Comparing apple juice to Orange juice consumption in the US, The International Markets Bureau (2011) writes that 59.9 % by volume of orange against apple juice’s 12.3% in 2010. Even in the previous years, orange juice was still the most preferred fruit juice (59.8%, 59.6% and 59.7% in the years 2007, 2008 and 2009 respectively) compared to apple juice whose statistics were 12.6%, 12.5% and 12.5% in the years 2007, 2008 and 2009 respectively (all percentages are by volume of fruit juices).
Reference
International Markets Bureau. (2011). Fruit Juice in the United States. World Indicator Report. Retrieved September 20, 2012, from http://www.ats-sea.agr.gc.ca/amr/pdf/6069-eng.pdf
