Ontario government considers rule to identify maple syrup operators

Thursday, June 4, 2015

by SUSAN MANN

Ontario is considering a requirement for all maple syrup operators to identify their businesses to the provincial agriculture ministry.

The proposal is being considered as part of a number of changes to maple product regulations under the provincial Food Safety and Quality Act.

Included in the amendments are changes to syrup grading, labelling and classification in Ontario. “These changes would further align the federal and provincial maple syrup grading and classification standards,” according to a summary of the proposal on the provincial regulatory registry.

The federal government introduced new grading rules Jan. 1.

Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association president Ray Bonenberg says their hope is the provincial government will have similar grading rules as the federal ones. He adds the maple industry is happy with the federal rules as they “clearly provide consistency and uniformity, especially to the grading system.”

The industry has asked the provincial government to use the federal grading rules as a main platform for amendments to its regulations, he notes.

About the need for producers to identify their businesses to the government, Bonenberg says the association’s board doesn’t have a position on this idea yet. But the organization  will be submitting a response to the government’s proposals.

There are about 3,000 people making maple syrup in Ontario, Bonenberg estimates with about 500 being association members. The members make 70 per cent of the province’s syrup.

Other changes being considered by the provincial government include:

• A requirement for food-grade storage containers to be used on all maple products. Bonenberg says he doesn’t know how many producers in Ontario currently don’t  use food-grade containers as not all producers are association members.
• Product quality adjustments that could require syrup to be bottled when it is hot and other adjustments requiring syrup to be made to a higher sugar content.

The ministry is also looking at ways to help producers grow their businesses and “is seeking input on determining the best path forward to support the development of emerging products,” the summary says.

Bonenberg says that’s good news as it could help producers developing value-added products, such as maple sugar and maple sap or water drink, which could overtake coconut water in the marketplace.  

The government is also hosting a series of public meetings across Ontario this month to discuss the proposals. BF