MONTPELIER, Vt. – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is reconsidering its plan to require that pure maple syrup and honey be labeled as containing added sugars.
Maple syrup producers had rallied against the plan, saying the nutrition labels updates were misleading, illogical and confusing and could hurt their industries.
No sugar is added to pure maple syrup or honey. However, the FDA’s update would have defined maple syrup as an added sugar, both when used as a sweetener in the processing of other foods and as a stand-alone product.
The agency’s goal was to update the Nutrition Facts label on products to educate consumers about the amount of added sugars in foods based on government dietary guidelines that recommend no more than 10 percent of daily calories come from added sugars.
After receiving more than 3,000 comments on its draft plan, the FDA acknowledged that the labeling was confusing and that it would now come up with a revised approach for maple syrup and honey.
