Organic vs. Non-Organic Maple Syrup
All maple sap is unadulterated and pure – it comes directly from nature without any human intervention or chemical processes. So why would a maple syrup producer feel that organic certification is important? Organic certification guarantees good, clean practices from sapling to syrup. To us, this reflects our ecological and social values, and it also speaks to our love and respect for the forests.
Certified organic maple syrup is made according to specific guidelines and regulations that cover forest management, processing, and storage to ensure that no chemicals or other inorganic products are used at any point in production. The extra work that this entails, and the certification fee, leads to the higher cost of certified organic maple syrup.
The following restrictions and guidelines apply for certified organic maple syrup producers.
Production plans, production records, sales records, inventory records, product traceability, and site maps must be kept on file for both the FPAQ (in Québec) and the organic certifier.
Buffers surrounding the maple bush must be installed if the forest is situated beside farmland (for example, Christmas tree lots) that use non-organic products such as pesticides.
At least 15% of the trees in a sugar bush must not be sugar maples in order to maintain forest diversity. The undergrowth in our forests may not be cut, and fertilizer use is limited to wood ash, lime, or other approved organic fertilizers.
Poison must not be used as a form of animal control. Large and small animals can damage sap lines for a number of different reasons, an organic producer must accept and repair all damage.
Protectors must be installed on drop lines for collecting maple sap (if applicable) to avoid damaging the maple trees.
Maple trees must have a diameter of at least 20cm to be tapped once; at least 40 cm to be tapped twice; and at least 60cm to be tapped a maximum of three times in one season. *Research shows that installing more than one tap per tree in a season doubles the tree's scar tissue while resulting in only about 30% more sap.
Only food-grade ethyl can be used as a disinfectant for cleaning tap holes (to ensure there is no bacteria in the tap hole when the tree is tapped). *Non-organic maple syrup producers can use any variety of chemicals as disinfectants during the maple season.
No mineral components of sap can be removed during the reverse osmosis process.
Only stainless steel pans can be used for processing. During the boiling season, only water can be used for cleaning these pans. Vinegar or fermented sap can be used for cleaning at the end of the season.
Only certified organic oils can be used as a defoamer.
Cosman & Webb maple syrup and maple sugar is certified organic through
Ecocert Canada.