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Maple syrup producers question foods labeled maple

Maple sugar producer Burr Morse, left, is joined by U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., center, and Roger Brown, of Slopeside Syrup, right as they talk about a request by maple producers that the Food and Drug Administration crack down on food producers who use "maple" in their labeling when there isn't any syrup in their products, during an event Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, in Richmond, Vt. In a letter to the FDA, Vermont producers were joined by maple associations from Maine to Wisconsin who want the FDA to take enforcement action to either remove the maple branding from the products or have the companies add maple syrup to them. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke)
Maple sugar producer Burr Morse, left, is joined by U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., center, and Roger Brown, of Slopeside Syrup, right as they talk about a request by maple producers that the Food and Drug Administration crack down on food producers who use "maple" in their labeling when there isn't any syrup in their products, during an event Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, in Richmond, Vt. In a letter to the FDA, Vermont producers were joined by maple associations from Maine to Wisconsin who want the FDA to take enforcement action to either remove the maple branding from the products or have the companies add maple syrup to them. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke) Maple sugar producer Burr Morse, left, is joined by U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., center, and Roger Brown, of Slopeside Syrup, right as they talk about a request by maple producers that the Food and Drug Administration crack down on food producers who use "maple" in their labeling when there isn't any syrup in their products, during an event Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016, in Richmond, Vt. In a letter to the FDA, Vermont producers were joined by maple associations from Maine to Wisconsin who want the FDA to take enforcement action to either remove the maple branding from the products or have the companies add maple syrup to them. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke)

By Associated Press 1 min read

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) – In the maple-rich areas of New England and the upper Midwest, producers don’t approve of fakers.

Last week, industry groups from Vermont to Michigan sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration protesting food labeled as maple that doesn’t contain the real thing or just a minuscule amount of it.

Officials and maple syrup producers in Vermont – the country’s largest producer – said Tuesday that products ranging from oatmeal to ice cream are misbranded, deceiving consumers and hurting the makers of real maple syrup.

They want the FDA to take enforcement action to either remove the maple branding from the products or have the companies add maple syrup to them.

The FDA says it will review the letter and respond directly to the petitioners.