For years, the sales performance of the market for fruit juices and juice drinks has been flat. Between 2007 and 2012, dollar sales of fruit and vegetable juices and juice drinks barely budged, and the volume of juice and juice drinks consumed by households hardly kept up with population growth. Yet underneath this placid topline performance are undercurrents of constant, rebellious change, according to a recently released report from Rockville, MD-based Packaged Facts, titled “Fruit and Vegetable Juices: U.S. Market Trends.”

Shifts in this $20 billion market have come at the expense of old school mainstays in the juice category, especially orange juice. Between 2007 and 2012, according to Packaged Facts, the consumption of orange juice declined by 3.6%, and the consumption of frozen orange juice declined by nearly 15%. “It’s not just orange juice for breakfast anymore,” noted David Sprinkle, publisher of Packaged Facts, adding that “many of the products posting the highest growth rates are riding the waves of juice bar and smoothie chain trends.”

In the process, the market for packaged juices has been upended. Consumers can now walk into the nearest supermarket and find exotic blends of fruit juices, unexpected combinations of fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies, coconut water, aloe vera juice, and juices made from exotic, antioxidant-rich superfruits.

Substantive innovation is a potential platform for growth, especially in capturing the attention of culinary- and health-trend conscious juicers, according to Packaged Facts. Consumer packaged goods marketers need to continue to launch fresh products using vegetable juice sources such as beets, increasingly creative blends of fruits and vegetables, and new juice drink formulations for fitness-conscious consumers. And because consumers are increasingly tuned in to the need to avoid empty calories and restrict the calorie counts in the juices they drink, marketers need to devise credible ways to reduce sugar content in their products. For more information click here.