New Proposal Would Forbid Wisconsin Restaurants From Saying Fake Maple Syrup is the Real Thing

Sunday, February 4th, 2024 -- 8:00 AM

(Anya van Wagtendonk, Wisconsin Public Radio) Wisconsin restaurants would be forbidden from saying they serve maple syrup if it’s not the real thing under a bipartisan proposal being debated in the state Legislature.

It’s a bid to promote a key Wisconsin agricultural product while also better informing consumers, said the bill’s lead sponsor, Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison. “I love brunch, like any good Wisconsinite,” she said at a recent hearing of the Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economy and Small Business Development. “And the only possible sweet condiment that you can have for brunch is real Wisconsin maple syrup if you want it to be good.”

An amber substance that’s anything but 100 percent pure maple syrup, such as those derived primarily from corn or containing additives,could still be bought and sold under the bill, but it would have to be called something else, Roys said.

Maintaining “truth in maple syrup” would support the Wisconsin maple industry, which is the fourth largest in the country, she argued. Wisconsin produces about 300,000 gallons of syrup a year, according to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension. Theresa Baroun, who directs the Wisconsin Maple Syrup Producers, said the proposal would support both producers and consumers.

“It’s really for people knowing what they are getting served on their pancakes,” she said. And Roys argued that maple could one day be as much a part of the Wisconsin brand as its famous cheese.

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