FDA At It Again: Maple Syrup And Honey Producers Upset Over New Label Requirements

[doitvoluntarily]

A few weeks ago, I shared a story about a farmer who was in an ongoing battle with the FDA over how they wanted him to label his skim milk. The government wanted the farmer to label his skim milk as imitation skim milk or imitation milk because it didn't have any added synthetic vitamins.

The farmer, Randy Sowers, only wanted to sell the most natural skim milk possible and didn't want to have to confuse people in the market with a label that might suggest the product was something other than pure or natural.

And now maple syrup and honey producers are upset with the FDA over the proposed changes to the food label requirements on their products as well.

Those who are currently producing pure maple syrup or pure honey are going to be required to post a label that says their product contains added sugars. The producers have criticized the new changes that have been proposed by the FDA, as being misleading, illogical, and confusing. They are worried it's going to hurt their business at the end of the day. They are hoping to be able to fight the proposed changes.

THERE ARE NO ADDED SUGARS...

As Rep. Peter Welch from Vermont has pointed out, Maple syrup is a pure product and there aren't any added sugars. Another critic, who happens to be a maple syrup producer, says that the syrup product is coming straight from the trees and that the company then works to refine that product in an effort to try and retain the quality.

The large manufacturers (over $10 million in food sales annually) of these products will need to comply by the new changes by the first of January 2020, and the smaller manufacturers (less than $10 million in food sales annually) have until a year later.

Producers say that the newly proposed changes, including the label, are also confusing even though they might have been made with good intentions. When people come across the shelf and pick-up a bottle of pure honey or pure syrup and they then see that added sugar notice, then they might wrongfully assume that sugar has been added when it hasn't been.

As the vice president, Chris Hiatt, of the American Honey Producers Association has pointed out, honey is a pure sugar, so there is no need to add any other sugars.

Producers are still busy working with lawmakers to try and have the FDA rescind their attempts to make these changes. They're still trying to gather support and effectively communicate the issue to the FDA of how confusing the new changes might make it for producers and consumers of those products.

Pics:
Pixabay

Sources:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/food/2018/05/01/maple-honey-producers-fda-added-sugars-label/571398002/
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/vermont/articles/2018-05-01/maple-honey-producers-decry-fda-added-sugars-label
http://www.benningtonbanner.com/stories/added-sugar-not-so-fast-say-maple-syrup-producers,538660

Related Posts:

Government Forcing Dairy Farmer To Confuse His Customers

https://steemit.com/food/@doitvoluntarily/government-forcing-dairy-farmer-to-confuse-his-customers

Comments

[aggroed]

Pretty standard projection by the industry. Accuse the other of what you do. Store bought "maple syrup" is often times sugar with maple flavoring and corn derivatives. Fuck them. Fuck this. The FDA is a shit hole.

[nameless-berk]

Fuck FDA, fuck regulations

[jang]

WTF?!...

[jlufer]

I do not know in other parts of the world, but in Argentina this happens because the regulators place unsuitable personnel in these key positions, by not interpreting the product, they do not know how to categorize them.
Thank you very much dear friend @doitvoluntarily for this information
I wish you a beautiful night

[leprechaun]

A fellow Steemian in Argentina. Do you live near Chubut? I have never seen "leche imitado" (immitation milk) in stores ever in the city I live.

[moderndayhippie]

This is a perfect example of lobbyists ruining organic/natural industry! It makes me sick they can even do this kind of thing. Its obviously misleading, I'm sure its done purposely.

[izzynoel]

Thanks for alerting me to this. Goes on my list of more Agenda 21 policies being implemented.

[justinashby]

Bootleg honey it is at 50 STEEM a gallon. All natural, no added bullshit. Coming Soon...

[joalvarez]

I totally understand why these farmers or the honey and syrup producers would be very upset. This is terrible and really frustrating since really it is lying about what is in the product they sell and I believe that this will hurt them in the long run.
I'm sorry but it seem like the FDA is trying to get rid off all the natural, healthy products by hurting the producers of it and the farmers and instead sell us all this synthetic foods that really are killing us.
This is our wonderful government and FDA and the pharmaceutical industry that all work together and not for our good but all for their huge profit.

[chuck2u32]

If small farmers would just make the right political contributions they would not have these problems.

[justinashby]

Or line obtusely arrogant people up and force feed them bullshit until they choke to death.

[gavinthegreat]

Regulators need to regulate themselves...

[pinkdaddy]

But you can't be just any geek off the street.. you gotta be handy with the steel, if ya know what i mean....

REGULATORRRRRRRRSSSSSSSSS... mount up

[leprechaun]

I am probably the only person who got that song reference. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1plPyJdXKIY

[mountainjewel]

so strange. most honey bought at the stores is pasteurized anyway and shit honey compared to pure raw honey with all the little "impurities" in it... fda needs to stop controlling everyone and only looking out of the "big guys"-- they're ruining so much!

[ericvancewalton]

The US just gets stranger by the day. Unbelievable. The entire house of cards will
cave eventually if this is allowed to continue.

[shevans]

Talk about "Fake News"!...."Fake Labels"!

[orges1]

Wonderful post , I like very much this post thanks for sharing ❤ @doitvoluntarily

[chuck2u32]

Control over people is what the government does best, but they do not recognize when they take it too far. They do not understand the difference between the rule of law and the spirit of the law.

[slowpath]

in the end Our governments FDA are always ass hats and if ever get anything right.

[builderofcastles]

The manufacturers add whey (what remains of the milk after making cheese) to ice cream, because you can't call it ice cream without any milk product in it. Most ice cream has no cream in it. Or milk. It has a sour, watery substance. And extra added sugar to cover up the sour taste.

But, that is FDA labelling for you.

[minismallholding]

Am I the only one checking the date isn't 1st April or the links aren't going to The Onion?! A label that says "contains sugar" would be laughable, but at least honest and they might get away with that, but this is going way too far. They are wanting to force people to lie?! If we we're all kooks to think there were conspiracies going on then surely this is just confirming that governments they're up to something. Or did Idiocracy just come true early?

[hanamana]

Hi doitvoluntarily,

Who should regulate FDA's actions? Any one else has power to make them accountable for their stupid rules and regulation that are harming the farmers?

[gazisahadat]

Wonderful post , I like very much this post thanks for sharing ❤ @doitvoluntarily

[kookmin]

꾸욱하고가요

[liberyworms]

They just want anything natural, pure and organic to be labels not as such because they are getting their artificial garbage big company butts kicked in the market place. Just like they don't want gmo labeling and want it to not be allowed for people to label their products as none gmo.

[mother2chicks]

Can’t find their asses with both hands!