troble in the maple syrup world

 
Maine l.d.685. an act to diminish the quality and confuse the customers  buying  maine  (or any other) maple syrup.

 
The maple syrup world or northeastern part of north America has a decision to make here shortly. The international maple syrup institute has come up with a plan to standardize the grading of maple syrup, and correct the confusion that maple syrup customers might have when buying syrup. But the system they developed to do it seems crazy too me.

 
First, light transparency, which was the traditional way to grade syrup WAS standard everywhere. But regionally, different states and provinces had their own name for the different grades and it was confusing. Vermonts fancy was maines light amber was double aa in Canada. But it was the same syrup. Usda grade a medium amber is canadas no. 1 light. Our grade a dark amber is canadas no. 1 medium. Grade b in Vermont was extra dark a in maine and no. 2 amber in Canada, but it was still the same sample of syrup. But still very confusing.

 
Both Canada and the us held 44 percent light transparency as the bottom line for table grades of syrup, and 27 percent as the base for second syrup and everything after that was commercial syrup to sweeten chewing tobacco and fake maple syrups and so on. Regardless of the names in place.

 
The solution is to replace names like light medium and dark with taste names like delicate and robust (subjective names harder to agree on). But the change I really can’t get on board with is creating three grades , light syrup or delicate would now be the old light, medium syrup would be the old medium plus half the old dark, and the new dark is EVERYTHING else.

 
If I haven’t lost you yet, it opens all maple syrup up for sale as table syrup including the blackest worst of the worst. This system is great for the packers. People who may or may not even make a drop of syrup, but package and sell LOTS and LOTS of syrup. They  would now have more syrup to sell. Great. But I feel in the end, the real results will be an inferior product that will pull the rest of us down with it. When it says pure maine maple syrup on the tin, I want that to mean what it always has. The best of the best.

 
If you feel the way I do about this, contact your representative or congress person, and say so. Its being railroaded in with language like everyone else is doing it and we want to get on board. Language Monsanto might try and use to their own benefit.

 
Maple states, keep your own old grading system.