OHIO — If you’ve been to the grocery store lately, you’ve noticed prices of many items are still on the rise. According to the latest data, there’s one particular type of product that costs way more than it did a year ago.

What You Need To Know

  • The prices for frozen juice are on the rise 

  • The average price of a 12 ounce frozen juice container is about 27% higher than it was a year ago 

  • Environmental factors are among those being blamed for the price increase 

The average price for a 12 ounce frozen juice container is about 27% higher than what it was a year ago. And the numbers are even more stark when you specifically look at frozen orange juice concentrate.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said a 12-ounce can of frozen orange juice concentrate cost more than $4.20 last month. That’s a jump of more than 40% compared to what it cost a year ago. It’s even up 2.5% from what it cost in January.

Experts say there are several factors that are causing the jump. Among them, a sugar shortage along with increased costs for labor, transportation and packaging. But there’s also something specific happening in the southern part of the country that seems to be to blame.

“The third factor is a disease,” said Erwin Erhardt, a University of Cincinnati economics professor. “It’s striking the trees down in Florida, at least it’s called Yellow Dragon disease, and it’s carried by a Soliday, a small insect that feeds off the sap of the oranges and it turns some green and bitter and the trees eventually die once they’re hit by this. So they’re working on trying to control that.”

But there’s potential good news on the horizon. Erhardt said projections show that prices for Frozen orange juice will level off and could even drop significantly later in the year. That’s because the supply of Valencia oranges, which are used to make orange juice, is expected to rise by nearly 25%.