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Tropicana shrinks size of orange juice jugs

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Tropicana is America's favorite brand of orange juice.

But its containers are getting smaller again, though this time you may not even notice it because of how they did it.

The consumer siteMouseprint.org says Tropicana Pure Premium has quietly been shrinking its plastic jugs over the past few weeks.

Mouseprint says many people recall the old cardboard cartons, that slimmed down from 64 to 59 ounces back in 2010.

They switched to clear plastic jugs a short time later, and they have remained 59 ounces since.

But Mouseprint discoverednew jugs showing up in some grocery chains are just 52 ounces, seven ounces less. That is almost a full glass of juice smaller.

Why you may not notice in the store

However, Mouseprint says Tropicana has made it very hard to spot the change.

You can't tell from the front, since the new containers are just as tall and wide as the old ones.

Instead, Mouseprint discovered they are less deep, or thinner when you look at them from the side.

But there's no visible change on the front at all, if you compare the 59-ounce jug still sold currently at Target to the 52-ounce jugs now sold at Walmart.

Tropicana has posted an explanation online, blaming last year's Hurricane Irma, among other recent natural disasters, that hurt Florida's orange crop and raised orange prices this year.

Why not just raise the price 50 cents? Studies have shown consumers are very adverse to price hikes, and often switch brands if prices go up.

So a product reduction is more often the choice made these days.

As always, don't waste your money.

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