Maple syrup and honey producers across the country are battling a U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulation that would require its nutrition labels to list grams of “added sugars.”
But...what if no sugars are added to their products?
In the FDA’s case, the “added sugars” label is a technical term to let consumers know how much sugar maple syrup and honey will add to their diet. The new guidelines are part of an overhaul to modernize nutrition labels and combat growing obesity by forcing manufacturers to disclose the amount of sugar existing in their products.
But the proposal sparked outrage over concerns that the label will only mislead consumers into thinking that sugars were added to their 100 percent pure, organic syrups.
In response to the outpour of complaints, the FDA is promising a compromise, but it’s not clear if the “sugary” manufacturers will get their sweet ending.
Guest:
Betsy McKay , senior writer for the Wall Street Journal covering global public health; she’s been following the story and tweets