FDA’s latest labeling boondoggle: “Added sugars” in, um, pure maple syrup?

By Mike Nolan

Home › Forums › General Discussions › FDA’s latest labeling boondoggle: “Added sugars” in, um, pure maple syrup?

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  • June 26, 2018 at 3:26 pm #12794
    Mike Nolan
    Keymaster

      The Wall Street Journal has an article running today about how maple syrup and honey producers are fighting the FDA's new nutrition label standard because it will require them to list 'added sugars' in pure maple syrup and honey.

      Long time readers will know I am not a fan of the US nutrition label standard for a variety of reasons, here's another reason why the updated standard announced in 2016 is a bad idea made worse.

      Not sure if this link will work for most readers, since the WSJ tends to put most of its articles behind their paywall these days:
      'Added Sugars' in maple syrup??

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      June 26, 2018 at 4:16 pm #12795
      chocomouse
      Participant

        The Vermont Maple Sugarers' Association has been fighting this for several months, and we may be winning the battle. The FDA is now agreeing that we do not add sugar to maple syrup (not the real stuff, "pure" syrup, although of course we do know there are some businesses that try to pass off their "syrup" as pure maple syrup). And the FDA only meant that eating it is adding sugar to your body! Yeah, right! So, why doesn't the bag of white sugar say "sugar added"?? I think now the FDA has agreed to remove "added sugar" from the label, and is working on some other way to warn buyers to limit their intake of sugar. I'll read that article, too. Thanks for posting the link, Mike.

        June 26, 2018 at 4:39 pm #12798
        Mike Nolan
        Keymaster

          NPR ran a story on this back in January, too, and I think USA Today ran one a month or two ago.

          BTW, here's an excerpt from the FDA's web site that talks about how to compute 'added sugars':

          For industry and those interested in the more technical version of the definition, please consult page 33980 of the Nutrition Facts Label Final Rule.

          No, I did not make that up, you have to get nearly 34 THOUSAND pages into the rules for nutrition labels before you reach that page! See Changes to the FDA Nutrition Facts Label

          One has to wonder how many hours of work went into this 'improved' label standard?

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