Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture is evaluating an increase in the minimum required percentage of natural fruit in beverages, including bottled juices and soft drinks, as a measure to stimulate domestic consumption of products that may face reduced exports to the United States due to a new 50% tariff.
Agriculture Minister Carlos Fávaro said on Wednesday, August 6, that the government is technically studying how to regulate a higher addition of fruit or fruit juice in beverages, "recategorizing and expanding this." He did not provide a timeline for the measure or confirm if it would be included in the federal contingency package. Fávaro added that the change could "improve the quality of the food consumed by the Brazilian population." Mangoes and papayas are among the main Brazilian fruits exported to the U.S. and are now subject to the tariff.
Changes to the required natural fruit content in beverages are regulated by presidential decree. Any modification would require amending the current decree signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Beverages such as juices, soft drinks, fruit nectars, syrups, and mixed pulps have different minimum fruit content requirements. Oversight is carried out by the Department of Inspection of Plant-Origin Products (Dipov) under the Secretariat for Agricultural and Livestock Defense.
According to ministry technical staff, higher fruit content requirements existed in the past but were later reduced. These could now be revised upward. Officials noted that manufacturers would require time to adapt to the new standards. The ministry is not currently considering similar adjustments for other products, such as adding honey or cocoa to ice cream or chocolate.
Under Decree 6.871/2009, orange, tangerine, and grape-flavored drinks must contain at least 30% natural juice by volume. Lime drinks must contain 5% juice, passion fruit drinks 6%, and apple-flavored beverages 20%. For soft drinks, the minimum is 2.5% for lemon-lime sodas, 10% for orange, tangerine, and grape sodas, and 25% for apple-based varieties.
Source: DatamarNews