Not allowed to use natural to describe things in the EU, it is meaningless. Can't use Superfoods and other nonsense like that, either.
The FDA is a joke, unfortunately, they mainly serve only the interests of the industry, often at the expense of the consumer.
I spent sometime in Germany and Austria this summer and I was amazed at the food purity laws concerning the food in Europe. No artificial flavor, no artificial colors, and no GMO's. Even MacDonald's puts red beef patties on the griddle, not the grey or brown frozen pucks we have here.
I really liked the small bakeries and butcher shops everywhere we went. Yes they had big box stores like we have here, but the bakery and meat departments had very little to offer because everyone wanted fresh local items (which is a good thing).
The Gummi Bears are made with fruit juice for color and flavor, they were so good, they were almost addictive.
Buy a loaf of wonder white bread here and almost a month later it's still soft. Ever wonder why....
It's really sad to think about what the American Consumer has settled for? All because something is a penny or two cheaper, corporations saving a penny on billions of products save millions at our loss.
If I buy maple syrup, I buy the lower grades, it actually has a stronger taste, than the expensive stuff. I would take good sorghum over any of it, and it is all natural.
Yes, real Maple Syrup is expensive; the first spring run the sap is at about 2.0% sugar content. It takes roughly 39/40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of maple syrup (light color/light crisp flavor). As the season progresses and the sap is lower in sugar content, it could take 57 - 61 gallons of sap for us to make 1 gallon of syrup (darker color/stronger flavor). The amount of heat/evaporation time will directly reflect the color of the syrup. Thus the longer the boil, the darker the color, and the stronger the taste.
Currently, many producers have employed the use of osmosis filters to help separate some of the water content, thus reducing evaporation times.
I had never had real maple syrup until a few years ago. I'm too indoctrinated into the other stuff, I didn't like it. Sad really.
If you always had a certain product, you become familiar with it, and you desire that product. Change in out habits and tastes are difficult for us to make or accept. That's why we always remember how mom's food was the best.
In January 23rd 2015, the USDA issued new rules for grading of maple syrup.
There is no more Grade A / Grade B differentiation, everything is grade A with the exception of the processor's grade. There is no more Light Amber, Medium Amber, or Dark Amber; they have taken the purer 5 grades of syrup and have now allowed processors to mix two of the old grades to create the newer grade of syrup. This similarly applies to Canada's 1/2/3 grading system.
Economically it's a good move for some processors because they can mix a lesser quality grade into the and achieve a product that brings a higher price. Taste-wise it is not the same, I no longer buy 100 pure maple syrup from the suppliers. Instead I buy directly from the producer who is quality oriented and will sell me the Grade A Light Amber, even though it has labeled as Golden Color.
Just like Medic92 stated, he had a product he became familiar with; many who have only used light amber syrup can easily tell the difference and will seek out the product they want, even if it has to be labeled different by new laws. Many small producers are happy to sell you the product you desire.
New Grading Reference:
https://www.maplesource.com/pure-maple-syrup-grades-explained/
