Mislabeled ‘maple’ products spark criticism

Food and beverage labels can cause confusion when they use a specific designation as a generic adjective to describe a product. Maple syrup has its own system of classification and grading, but a recent controversy centers around whether or not certain foods should be identified as maple-flavored at all.

According to WAMC Northeast Public Radio, the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers’ Association takes issue with the cavalier ways some manufacturers use the word “maple” when it doesn’t technically apply. Breakfast products, deserts and others can implicitly claim to have maple content through their titles and packaging. Even if the ingredients list clearly excludes maple syrup, consumers could still be misled.

Vermont produced nearly 1.4 million gallons of maple syrup last year alone and has produced 1.2 million on average since 2010, the Association said. As such, this and other similar groups want the Food and Drug Administration to address the issue of improper maple labeling.

The Association’s Executive Director Matt Gordon told the source that there could be a beneficial outcome where more genuine maple ends up appearing in other foods.

“Ultimately it would be great if they put maple in their product. So it’s kind of a combination,” he said. “We hope they put maple in or we hope they at least label their products accordingly and in a way that isn’t deceptive to the average consumer.”

Gordon also noted the specific tactics which can convince the unwary that maple is included, such as evocative imagery or mentions of flavor.

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