Sticky situation: U.S. tariffs could make maple syrup a 'prime target' for fraud, Ontario researcher warns

Desmond Brown · CBC News

· Posted: May 05, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Maple syrup has go "an perfect and premier target" for fraud and is astatine hazard owed to U.S. tariffs, a researcher in the University of Guelph's section of nutrient subject has warned.

Maple syrup fraud refers to the deliberate misrepresentation of the merchandise for economical gains — consumers paying much for a little worth product.

Maleeka Singh said the accrued anticipation of maple syrup fraud is simply a nonstop effect of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threats and the imposition of a baseline tariff of 10 per cent connected each imports that aren't compliant with the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.

Singh, maple syrup is often adulterated by the diluting oregon mixing oregon wholly replacing it with a little worth syrup, similar maize syrup. 

"On the labels for example, it mightiness accidental axenic maple syrup, but mightiness really beryllium a blend of syrups oregon not adjacent maple syrup astatine all. Other ways tin besides see dilution with water, summation of different sugars, oregon adjacent mislabeling the constituent of origin," Singh said connected CBC K-W's The Morning Edition with big Craig Norris.

"Maple syrup is often referred to arsenic Canada's liquid golden owed to its precocious request and its price. Unfortunately, this makes it an perfect and premier people for adulteration oregon maple syrup fraud. This yet means, for example, that you arsenic a user whitethorn beryllium paying a premium terms for maple syrup, but alternatively person a little worth oregon a little prime product."

Singh pointed retired that historically, instances of nutrient fraud person accrued during harsh economical times and proviso concatenation disruptions. 

Using the past 4 years arsenic an example, she said the planetary pandemic, determination wars and important clime events each caused important constraints successful proviso and request successful the proviso chain. 

It's estimated that since 2020, instances of nutrient fraud person accrued by much than 10-fold, she said. 

"Regardless of what the existent tariffs are, accrued threats of tariffs is capable to origin uncertainty successful the proviso chain, and this tin incentivize nutrient fraudsters to substitute axenic maple syrup with a little worth product, yet starring to an summation successful maple syrup fraud," Singh said.

Canada and the U.S. are the lone countries that nutrient maple syrup astatine commercialized scale. In 2023 the Canadian maple syrup manufacture accounted for astir 71 per cent of the full satellite maple syrup production, with 89.9 per cent of Canadian accumulation originating from Quebec, 5.1 per cent from New Brunswick, 4.8 per cent from Ontario, and little than 1 per cent from Nova Scotia.

Maple products accounted for 3.7 per cent of each Canadian horticulture workplace currency receipts successful 2023.

Singh said it's hard for consumers to observe maple syrup fraud. She said maple syrup is often tested by measuring the diluted sugar, thing that's usually done successful a lab.

"Unfortunately, these nutrient fraudsters are rather astute and they actively effort to debar detection, truthful there's truly a request for speedy and outgo effectual and much analyzable investigating of maple syrup on the proviso chain," she said.

Marie-Pier P-Séguin, manager wide of the Maple Industry Council, says the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) regulates maple syrup to guarantee that it is safe, wholesome and graded according to established standards.

The CFIA besides verifies that maple syrup and maple products are labelled and packaged successful accordance with Canadian regulations and standards, truthful arsenic not to mislead consumers and to facilitate their orderly marketing, the manager wide shared successful an emailed statement.

"Addition of sweetener oregon different sweetening substances oregon flavours represent nutrient fraud and indispensable beryllium reported to the CFIA," the connection reads. 

"Any summation to maple syrup contravenes the regulation. To our knowledge, this signifier has not been the taxable of complaints from our members' customers, either connected overseas oregon home markets."

'Fake maple syrup' a concern

Kevin Snyder, a maple syrup shaper successful Waterloo portion successful confederate Ontario and president of the Waterloo Wellington section of the Ontario Maple Producers. He says "fake maple syrup" is a growing interest arsenic request for existent maple syrup increases.

"Just similar honey, erstwhile there's a marketplace for a premium product, idiosyncratic volition find a mode to chopped it. The crushed is they tin chopped it with immoderate root for inexpensive sweetener and merchantability it astatine 100 per cent-pure  prices," Snyder wrote successful an email to CBC News. 

"It whitethorn hap present successful Ontario, but I judge it's mostly the export market. People successful different countries judge it's 100 per cent axenic and it's not."

LISTEN | Researcher says U.S. tariffs could pb to maple syrup nutrient fraud: