The USDA purchased about $9.7 million of bottled juices Feb. 13. A total of 695,895 cases of seven different types of juices were purchased for the federal food assistance program. The products purchased include 231,650 cases of 8/64-oz. apple juice for about $2.9 million; 142,475 cases of 8/64-oz. grape concord juice for about $2.0 million; 140,425 cases of 8/64-oz. orange juice for about $2.4 million; 117,875 cases of 8/64-oz. cranberry apple juice for about $1.6 million; 54,325 cases of 8/64-oz. tomato juice for about $560,000 ; 6,160 cases of 8/64-oz. cherry apple juice for about $104,000; and 3,075 cases of 8/64-oz. grapefruit juice for $42,289.
Of the nine companies that USDA bought from, three had over a million dollars of bottled juice purchased. Those three were Cherry Central Cooperative selling a total of about $3.5 million with Commercial Lynks Inc. and Ludford’s Inc. each selling about $1.7 million. Other companies that had bottled juices purchased included Mayer Brothers Apple Products, Inc. ($927,000 sold), Clement Pappas and Co., Inc. ($826,000), Del Monte Foods ($357,000), Robert Barrios ($298,000), Giovanni Food Co. Inc. ($252,000) and Citrus World ($12,000).