Mimosa drinkers, beware.
There will be less orange juice to go around New York and the rest of the country after US regulators halted imports of the beverage to test for a prohibited fungicide.
The orange-juice industry, already reeling from a cold snap that froze some of its Florida crop, is likely to raise prices now that its supply is shrinking, analysts said.
“Consumers shouldn’t be afraid that the orange juice they’ve been drinking is unsafe, or that cartons in their fridges or stores have to be discarded,” said Judy Ganes-Chase, a leading commodities analyst and president of J. Ganes Consulting.
“It’s not a recall of orange juice, and inventories won’t be pulled off shelves.”
But customers can expect their wallets to be squeezed a little more.
Carol Singer, a teacher shopping at an Upper East Side Gristedes, picked up a $6 gallon of orange juice and put it back.
“At that price, it’s not worth it,” Singer said.
At her favorite bar, mimosa lover Kalynn Rowley, 26, said she hoped the new regulations won’t affect her drinking habits.
“I love screwdrivers and any drinks with orange juice,” Rowley said at Rathbone’s on the Upper East Side. “If it gets too hard to get a decent drink, I might have to move out of state.”