Citrus Hill
Gone since October 1992, when P&G quit pure juice entirely and handed the shelf space to Sunny Delight. A 1998 attempt to re-register the trademark was quietly abandoned.
Last verified Nov 7, 2026
Procter & Gamble spent an estimated $100 million launching its own orange juice nationwide in 1983, convinced soap-company science could out-squeeze Tropicana and Minute Maid. Nine years of third place said otherwise.
Filed under: Drinks & Sodas · the ’80s
📅 Timeline
- 1982Test markets in Indiana and Iowa.
- 1983National launch in late October with an estimated $100 million campaign — P&G's run at Tropicana and Minute Maid.
- 1991April 24 — federal marshals seize about 2,000 cases (over 12,000 gallons) of Citrus Hill Fresh Choice in Hopkins, Minnesota after the FDA rules "fresh" on reconstituted juice is false labeling. P&G drops the word.
- 1992September 17 — P&G announces it will stop selling its juices in the US the following month, taking a roughly $200 million after-tax charge; Sunny Delight inherits the focus.
- 1999P&G's 1998 attempt to re-register the CITRUS HILL trademark is abandoned.
❓ People also ask
Why was Citrus Hill discontinued?
It never caught Tropicana or Minute Maid. After nine years of third place and a bruising 1991 FDA labeling seizure, P&G announced in September 1992 that it was exiting pure juice entirely.
Did the FDA really seize Citrus Hill?
Yes — on April 24, 1991, US marshals seized about 2,000 cases in Hopkins, Minnesota because the carton said "fresh" on juice made from concentrate. The FDA had warned P&G by letter that January.
🧾 Sources
- Time, Dividends: Turning On the Juice (1983)
- UPI, FDA seizes orange juice in labeling battle (1991)
- UPI, Procter & Gamble to discontinue pure juice operations (1992)
- USPTO TSDR, CITRUS HILL trademark record, serial 75463269 (1998)