Frozen juice from concentrate is disappearing from store shelves as companies say fewer people are buying it.
Minute Maid is ending its frozen juice products, including orange juice, lemonade, fruit punch and juice blends, by April. The brand’s parent company, Coca-Cola, says it is leaving the frozen juice category in both Canada and the U.S. because consumer tastes have changed.
Another major juice producer, Lassonde, stopped making frozen juice last year after demand dropped. Lassonde produces juices for several large grocery chains, meaning both brand-name and store-brand frozen juices are now largely unavailable.
Experts say when all major companies leave a category, it shows the product is no longer profitable. Frozen juice now makes up only a small share of juice sales.
Invented during the Second World War and popularized in the mid-1900s, frozen juice was once a household staple. But today, Canadians are drinking more water, cutting back on sugar, and choosing newer beverages like kombucha and functional drinks instead.
While the loss of frozen juice means fewer choices for shoppers, some say it could open the door for smaller Canadian companies to create new products.
