OMAFRA inspectors

[Allan Limoges]

Has anyone ever had their syrup inspected by the food inspection division of OMAFRA? They were by my house the other day and bought a sample of my syrup for testing.

I am very curious to know what the maple syrup police think of my backyard project.

[spud]

I would have charged them $500.00 for that sample. What they ought to do is police their warehouse and leave you alone.

Spud

[Allan Limoges]

I thought the same thing after she had left. But I just got off the night shift and was tired. Next time though...

[JAMIE]

Spud No warehouses in Ontario.But yes i agree! leave us alone!!!

[Bruce L]

Allan, was she testing for lead? We had a lady in here quite a number of years ago to check for lead. but news travels fast in the syrup industry so I knew she was coming. When the inspectors first started out they were requesting something like a 500 ml container of syrup, as they got travelling from bush to bush the requests got higher and higher, until one stop they requested a total of 1 &1/2 gallons !!!!!!!!!!!! I had contacts in OMAFRA at the time, and called to inquire about the practice. He told me he would check into it, as they only needed 100 ml for testing. By the time she arrived at our place I had been proactive as he recommended, and had sent the syrup away to be tested for lead, when she showed up I had the results in hand, the lead in our syrup was barely readable, well below their acceptable limits. I showed her the results, she concluded they would still need to do their own testing and requested a 2 liter container from us. I said "NO", I will hand over a 250 ml container which is more than double what you need. She looked at me, knew she had been busted and left, never heard back from her again.

[argohauler]

Haven't seen one this year yet.

They've only requested 250 ml from me, 1 year 4 of them, but they paid for them.

My uncle told them to go away and they did and haven't been back.

[maple flats]

In New York State I have only been tested once by the State. Here they buy the syrup, you don't just hand it over. They bought a quart. Then I was told if I failed I would be notified. I said I wanted the results regardless so I would have the numbers not just a pass/fail. It took them about 5-6 months but I finally got the results back. That year about 25% of my collection was in old galv. buckets and my SS pans were lead soldered. I also had another 40% of my taps were on roadside trees (leaded gas residue likely) and flowed into galv. tanks. My lead results were only about 25% of the allowable threshold where a caution warning would be issued. (I now use no galv. and no lead solder)

[DrTimPerkins]

Soil lead is relatively unlikely to contribute much to total syrup lead load.

[Allan Limoges]

They are testing for lead, bacteria, brix, if it is actually maple syrup and labels. Must be properly labeled. My customers, few as they are, don't really care about grade. Light, medium and dark seems to satisfy them. I was told that I would get results in a few weeks and that if I fail any or all that they would show back up again to help me identify and resolve the issues.

The jar she bought from me was hot packed. She did not seal the jar with her own seal, nor did she label the jar with anything. How will she know where she got the sample. I was not aware of any complaints about the quality of syrup in Ontario, and just wondering why go through all this expense if there is not a problem.

[Allan Limoges]

0 lead 76% light (whatever that means) and 65.3 brix

[wiam]

0 lead 76% light (whatever that means) and 65.3 brix

That is the light transmission. Tells you what grade

[BryanEx]

OMAFRA is not obligated to pay for the syrup they take for testing. They do it as a courtesy to the producer. Allan, 0 lead is what we need in the maple industry so for that I thank you. The 75% light I presume refers to our grading in Ontario but the 65.3 brix means you are under density for legal maple syrup. You are not far off but enough that your syrup will spoil and is not up to standards in
Ontario. The other issues OMAFRA tends to check are all the labeling laws (name, address, grade, volume, etc). Based on what I've read from some States OMAFRA is pretty easy to meet guidelines with.

- Bryan Ex

[Big_Eddy]

Allan

Read the info at the attached link. Provides a clear picture of Ontario regulations.

http://www.ontariomaple.com/pages/maple_regulations/

I recall reading that the lowest density tested by OMFRA last year was in the 40-something Brix range - and the producer thought it was syrup. I like the idea of spot checks and enforcement at the level it's at now. Keeps things reputable without a lot of headaches.

[jow]

What's the deal if your not selling any? I produce enough for family and friends....can omafra still come in if they see me boiling?

[JP Quality Maple Syrup]

For me though, even if I weren't selling any I would like to know if I am doing something wrong or there is something wrong with the product especially since I am making it for family and friends and fix it. Jack