Apple Juice: As American As Apple Pie?
In 1986 consumers won a court case requiring that companies that only add water 
to a concentrate product must label the country of origin for the concentrate. 
But, that label is often buried in fine print Motts’ apple juice, for instance, 
proclaims that it uses “our apples” that are “hand picked...putting little 
between the orchards and you, the way you trust us to.” In smaller print 
elsewhere, you’ll find: conc from China.”
Many store brands and companies such as Motts, Tree Top, Welch’s and Tropicana 
simply add water and packaging to the Chinese concentrate.
China is the top supplier of concentrate used for apple juice in the U.S. 
According to the Dallas Morning News, more than 40 percent of the apple juice 
consumed in the U.S. comes from concentrate imported from China. Only 22 percent 
of U.S. apple juice comes from domestically-produced apples.
In 1996, the U.S. imported 4.5 million gallons of apple juice concentrate from 
China. In 2006, that figure had soared to 225.5 million gallons. Not surprisingly, the price of domestically-produced 
apples plummeted at that same time.