The FDA is messing with labeling sugar and it could freak people out about Maine's maple syrup.

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The Food and Drug Administration wants a new nutrition label that will differentiate between naturally-occurring sugars and added sugars.

Maine's maple industry is worried that the labels are gonna scare customers away because they want to put an “added sugar” label on maple syrup bottles.

The FDA says it's just to warn people that maple syrup has a a ton of sugar and that will be 'added' to your diet. Maple makers say that's misleading and that if you read 'added sugar' you won't buy it! Because it sounds like you added sugar!

According to NPR, maple makers in Vermont (they lead the pack) are just dumbfounded by the FDA:

'It just became apparent that the FDA wasn't going to sort of bow to reality, or bow to a standard interpretation of the English language', said Roger Brown. 'And so was going to continue to say, 'no, added sugar' doesn't mean sugar added to food, it means sugar added to your diet in excess of what's nutritionally appropriate.

 

Maple makers think it's a lie to say 'added sugar' because it's pure maple syrup!

The FDA's fix is to add yet another label explaining what sugar means for things like maple, honey, and cranberry.

 

That should work. I mean, who doesn't take the time to read a small novel about the product they're are buying. The good news is Mainers will keep buying Maine maple syrup...but what about outside of Maine. Will it scare people away?

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