Is breakfast endangered? Disease and extreme weather are jacking up coffee and orange juice prices—and consumers are getting squeezed

A man in a red hoodie stands in a thicket of trees and pours out a large plastic bucket filled with oranges. (Credit: Mahmoud Issa/SOPA Images/LightRocket—Getty Images)

The cool splash of orange juice and hot steam of fresh coffee around the breakfast table could become a rarer sight as both commodities become pricier amid a worsening climate crisis. As a result of limited harvests and decreased exports, these breakfast beverage staples have become more expensive to consumers.

The retail cost of frozen orange juice concentrate in the U.S. reached an all-time high in April of $4.28 per 16 ounces, almost double its pre-pandemic cost of $2.28, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Coffee is likewise more expensive, with robusta beans surging in price to $3,777 per ton as of April, compared to around $2,400 12 months prior.