Food grade??

[325abn]

Let me preface with this, that cleanliness is next to Godliness in my book when it comes to how I handle all of my sugaring operation from start to finish.

Ok I get that we eat what we produce I get that! I read a lot about food grade this and food grade that when it comes to handling sap. Not syrup but sap!

What we do is agriculture just as tomatos, cukes, corn, onions, refined sugar, milk, beef etc etc etc. Yes?

Now I have been on plenty of farms and worked on a few even had a good sized market garden and I have seen how our food (all the stuff I just mentioned above) is handled and I am quite sure all the equipment used is not labled "food grade" eveything thing from bucket loaders, wash tables, to baskets, equipment that washes the dirt off potatos etc etc etc. None of this is "food grade".

Isn't true that our product is not food untill it is drawn off the evapoator?

[be3169]

Difference being that cucumbers are not concentrated 40 to 1 nor are they in liquid form.

[shane hickey]

Still hes rite you wouldn't pour sap on french toast

[325abn]

Some tomatos are concentrated to sauce and corn to corn syrup yet the corn is handled with all kinds of equipment that I am sure require greese.

[325abn]

The point is that not everything need a food grade label does it? IE: the pumps we use.

[Bucket Head]

No, not everything used in syrup production requires a food grade label, but the day is coming where all of it will require one. The day is coming where we will have to handle sap and syrup just like they currently handle milk- all with food safe equipment. Eventually food grade nylon, polyethelene and stainless steel will be the only surfaces allowed for sap and syrup contact. Everyone should keep this in mind when they are purchasing pumps, hoses and tanks.

Steve

[325abn]

Probley right Buckethead, especially if we continue to let our goberment run a muck!!

[red maples]

Well said, The difference between veggies and sap is basically you can't wash sap. Veggies have a skin and a coating. I would have to believe that sap is now considered a food item and even if it isn't it will be soon. this is the reason that we have to have FDA reg. because it needs to be covered it needs to be fresh, it needs to be in food grade containers tanks what ever. under the new regs. if you harvest sap you need to register. all of the guidelines are written yet(bad thing about giving a blank check to a gov regulators but thats another thread all together)

in most cases (except grease I guess) vegggies really don't leach in chemicals from what they touch. I am no scientist and some of what you say is true. even water that comes out of the ground is considered food and needs to kept in potable water containers etc.

Its a good question you ask, But we all know and should use common sense that if we don't handle the sap correctly its gonna effect the syrup and if we don't start using food grade items we will be told to do so. but again it is a good point. I believe is being address by FDA as we type this and if not now in the very near future.

[red maples]

but don't turn this into polics as we will get in trouble.... no politics its in the rules of te site.

[BoarsNest]

Here's an interesting book. This author's perspective on our food system.

http://www.folksthisaintnormal.com