Which orange juice should I buy?

Your daily breakfast OJ might not be as healthy for the planet as it is for you

DRINKING 170 litres of water with breakfast would be ridiculous. You’d have your legs crossed all the way to work, which would be particularly problematic if you were doing the right thing by walking.

But that’s the amount that goes into manufacturing just one cup of orange juice, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation says. Citrus is a thirsty crop.


Then there’s the fuel that goes into the tractors, pesticides, packaging and transport of OJ. In addition, orange production uses more pesticides than any other major commodity, the World Wide Fund For Nature reports. There’s obviously more to choosing a juice than whether to go for the pulpy or the smooth stuff. There’s a fair bit to weigh up if breakfast is to be an environmentally champion affair.

First on the list, says Cam Walker, the campaigns co-ordinator for Friends of the Earth, is making sure the Os in your OJ are dinky-di. But beware. All may not be as it seems on the label. These juice manufacturers can be a slippery bunch.

Sydney Morning Herald