FDA compliance

[etruax]

A general question I have had for sometime. With all of the government regulations for food handling and traceability required to be a supplier in the food chain why do I have such a hard time finding FDA compliant materials(i.e.: buckets, bags, tubing, taps)? If I want to insure the safety of my family and all who enjoy the pure maple syrup made where do I buy these supplies? Is - or will - the government be cracking down on handling of these precious and delicious treats we all make requiring anything sold to be made at a fully FDA compliant facility? :o

We all understand galvanized and aluminum buckets are not FDA compliant and RO systems will not 'remove' any harmful chemicals from the metallic surfaces of them, they only kill bacteria when they work. Boiling the sap down would never remove any harmful chemicals that could leach into my product flow path and make it all the way through the evaporator, they wouldn't disappear or evaporate and they could make it all the way to the breakfast table with ease. That is concerning to me.

I know if there are UV additives or blockers in the raw materials used to make tubing that will make it last longer in the woods or outdoor environment, the tubing is not FDA compliant due to the presence of those additives or blockers. I won't jeopardize the health and safety of anyone knowingly, how do we secure a path of pureness for our maple products from start to finish?

Obviously stainless steel can be considered food grade provided it is cleaned properly but what about all the system to collect and transport the sap and syrup before and after boiling down in an evaporator? Stainless would cost more than its worth.

I would love to know if anyone else has the same question or concerns that I have stated.

[unc23win]

why do I have such a hard time finding FDA compliant materials(i.e.: buckets, bags, tubing, taps)? If I want to insure the safety of my family and all who enjoy the pure maple syrup made where do I buy these supplies? Is - or will - the government be cracking down on handling of these precious and delicious treats we all make requiring anything sold to be made at a fully compliant facility? :o

I know if there are UV additives or blockers in the raw materials used to make tubing that will make it last longer in the woods or outdoor environment, the tubing is not FDA compliant due to the presence of those additives or blockers. I won't jeopardize the health and safety of anyone knowingly, how do we secure a path of pureness for our maple products from start to finish?

Where have you been looking for food grade materials? I think maybe you should do more research because I don't think you have looked at all. Everyone who produces and sells maple syrup to the public retail is required to properly label their products and has to be inspected each year in order to obtain a license for that year there by they are compliant.

[DrTimPerkins]

Sap collection and processing equipment are typically made of water-potable or food grade materials and constructed to sanitary standards by the manufacturers. Plastics (and the additives) used in the construction of maple tubing are typically food-grade in composition (or of water potable materials). If you're buying from a maple equipment dealer/supplier, then you can be reasonably sure that the materials used are FDA compliant (otherwise you can be fairly certain they wouldn't have liability insurance for very long). If you go and buy garden hose, galvanized tanks, and horse troughs at your local home/garden store, then probably not. Similarly, if you buy older maple equipment made before about 1994, then the standards were very different and your equipment is probably not up to current standards.

[etruax]

Thank you for your explanation Dr. Tim, I very much enjoyed the garden hose and galvanized horse trough reference - we were not quite that primitive in the 70's!

My concern is, why are the manufacturers of these items used in the sugaring industry not marketing their products to be FDA compliant. My underlying question is with all of the new regulations being introduced by Washington, will the equipment supply side of the sugaring industry be required to make this statement visible on their products like maple houses are on their product labels. 'Reasonably sure' isn't an absolute guarantee and if materials (raw materials, resins, ore) come from outside of the US where these regulations are more lax or simply do not exist, is there a requirement to have all domestic equipment manufacturers submit those compliant materials for approval and maintain full manufacturing traceability of them once they are approved by the FDA, NSF, REACH and RoHs for full compliancy?

Thanks in advance for your input

ETruax

[DrTimPerkins]

My concern is, why are the manufacturers of these items used in the sugaring industry not marketing their products to be FDA compliant.

It is unlikely that they will ever post this on the materials produced. When you buy a cup at Walmart, it doesn't say "FDA compliant", it is assumed.

The US regulatory system for food and equipment is very confusing, and generally focuses on specific threats that have been identified, not every threat that could be imagined. Maple syrup is considered a "low risk" food product for the most part at the federal level. It is only things like milk, meat, eggs and produce that have a lot of regulatory attention, because in those cases problems can kill people. After the Federal level you then have to superimpose the state (and provincial) and local regulatory bodies on top of that. That varies tremendously, with almost no regulation in some places, and a substantial amount in others.

The maple industry, since the lead scare of the 1990s, has done a pretty good job of self-policing and regulation. Not worth going into the whole thing here, but when a few issues have arisen, they are typically addressed pretty quickly (depending upon the level of severity) and decisively.

As far as "reasonably sure goes".....you can never be absolutely sure that someone isn't going to try to cheat and use inferior materials. It has happened on a few occasions, but as I said, it's been dealt with fairly effectively. Generally it has been from new entrants into the supply chain....if you see a great price on equipment from a company you've never heard of making maple equipment....buyer beware. That's all most people need to know. As I said earlier, any manufacturer who does something that is suspect, if caught, is unlikely to be able to carry liability insurance afterwards. So if they want to stay in business, they tend to follow the rules.

[markct]

I know atleast some brands of tubing i have used say right on them food grade, other mainline and fittings say nsf 61 which is potable water approved. Not sure where your shopping but its definatly available