Posted on 10/21/2011 10:49:20 AM PDT by jazusamo
Six senators introduced legislation that would make selling fake maple syrup a felony offense that can lead to fines and up to five years in prison.
The Maple Agriculture Protection and Law Enforcement (MAPLE) is a response to what chief sponsor Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and others say is the increasing practice of cheating Vermont, upstate New York and other maple syrup regions by selling inferior, fake syrup.
"I have been alarmed by the growing number of individuals and businesses claiming to sell genuine Vermont maple syrup when they are in fact selling an inferior product that is not maple syrup at all," Leahy said Thursday. "This is fraud, plain and simple, and it undermines a key part of Vermont's economy and reputation for quality that has been hard-earned through Vermonters' hard work."
He added that others in the syrup-producing regions of Maine, New York and other states also have been hurt. Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) are all cosponsors.
Under current law, fraudulently selling fake maple syrup is a misdemeanor offense.
Under the bill, S. 1742, selling fake maple syrup would be listed as an act of fraud that is seen as a felony offense, along with falsifying bank entries, mortgage transactions, loan applications, citizenship records and dozens of other activities.
"We need to make sure that those who intentionally deceive consumers get a trip to jail, not a slap on the wrist," Leahy said. "Schemers should not easily be able to sully the seal of quality that is associated with genuine Vermont maple syrup."
The bill specifically lists what qualifies as real maple syrup: a liquid food derived from heating tree sap or mixing water and maple sugar. In either case, not less than 66 percent of the weight of the product must be "soluble solids derived solely from the sap of a species of tree in the genus Acer."
By god, now we're getting somewhere! /s
Doesn’t the current law specify immitation products be labeled as such?
Maple FLAVORED syrup or something like that.
People can’t figure it out by that?
BTW, real maple syrup is heads and shoulders better than immitation. Problem is it costs so much more.
if congress and the federal gov are cut by 25% they will be so busy with stuff like a budget they won’t have time for baseball, steriods, lance armstrong or maple syrup
We want Dogs in our Hot Dogs!!!!!!
ALL Leftie Vermin
Leahy needs to be slathered in maple syrup, rolled in feathers, tied to a rail, run out of the country and dumped over the Canadian border.
They like liberal sh*t-heads. Leahy ought to do real well up there.
You go to the store.
You go the to syrup aisle.
You look at the bottles.
One small bottle is $10.
Several large bottles are $2.99. Yep, must be the real stuff. Don’t bother about reading the ingredients.
Good to see the adults are at it again. I’m calling for the DEATH penalty for phony Idaho potatoes. There’s no sense in coddling people who disrespect brand names.
They must have a different definition of deliberative than I do.
Deliberative: sitting around with your thumb up your rear end making meaningless speeches, while the world crashes around you and doing nothing to prevent it.
On second though, maybe they do have the same definition I do.
You got that right!
lol
H/T Ping! :-)
don’t mess with breakfast.
Cracker Barrel went from pure maple syrup to 1/2 maple 1/2 high fructos corn syrup.
In spite of the poorly written headline that is the issue. The law is not about selling fake ‘maple syrup’ but in misrepresenting such fake stuff as real. As with fake rolexes, fake champagne, fake dog food, fake gypsum wallboard, fake designer or team licensed clothing and other items this is an issue for the Federal Trade Commission.
Is it pronounced Seer-up or Sur-up.
LOL! Leahy is at it again! They should just go ahead and bronze him now and stand him up in Statuary Hall. Next to Robert Byrd in the pea-brain section.
This just an example how out of whack our laws are when selling fake maple syrup is seen as a more serious crime than sneaking into America
Fraud is fraud. I want it prosecuted.
I don’t think it’s on the level of armed robbery, but, it’s close as it is perpetrated on large numbers of people.
Simple solution, change your company name to “Genuine Vermont”
I’ll second that. :-)
I always thought he talks like he has mush in his mouth but maybe it’s just that he eats too much maple syrup.
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