In the February issue of Profeco Magazine, Profeco explained that most of Mexico’s products claiming to be “Maple honey” have no honey and are not real Maple.
MEXICO CITY (PROFECO) – Maple honey “does not exist,” said the Procuraduría Federal del Consumidor (Profeco) in a study in which it informs what is contained in the packaging.
The February issue of Profeco Magazine explained that Maple is the English name of an emblematic tree in Canada where sap is extracted from the tree. PROFECO explains that the maple tree sap is a sweetener with a high degree of purity and low glycemic index.
But the so-called “Maple honey” in Mexico is a maple-flavored syrup, which is made from corn to which artificial colors and flavors are added.
“It cannot be called honey either because it is not the substance produced by bees from the nectar of flowers or secretions of living parts of plants,” according to the Mexican Official Standard, that is, bees can only make honey.
In reality, the Maple Flavor Syrup “is a processed product. It is flavored corn starch, to which sugar, water, artificial color, sorbic acid, flavorings, and other products are added; its price on average is 9 pesos per 100 milliliters.
Meanwhile, the “pure maple syrup is a natural product, from sap extracted directly from the tree” with a price of 69 pesos per 100 milliliters on average.
Therefore, Profeco said: “Maple syrup is the correct denomination of the product” as long as it says on the label that it is “pure” and from maple sap.
