U.S. Senators Take on Counterfeit Maple Syrup

Only through constant vigilance and shared sacrifice can we uphold the integrity of our pancakes.

American legislators are tackling one of this world's true evils in drawing up a new bill that would make it illegal to call a product maple syrup if it's not made up of 100 per cent real maple syrup. Senators from Maine and Vermont, two states in which maple syrup makes up a healthy chunk of industrial output, have introduced the Maple Agriculture Protection and Law Enforcement Act, which would make selling counterfeit maple syrup a felony punishable by up to five years in prison (and you though the Tories' omnibus bill was draconian...). Other kinds of sugar, such as cane sugar or beet sugar, are often added to syrups and sold as "maple syrup" around the U.S., which the senators say takes away from the northeastern states' economies. Here in Canada, mislabelling a product as maple syrup can land a fraudster two years in prison, plus lifelong shame for besmirching the country's national topping.