Maple syrup production in New York skyrocketed in 2011, going up 81 percent from the previous year and hitting its highest level since 1947. Some 1,500 maple producers statewide, including several dozen in the Finger Lakes region, put out 564,000 gallons of maple syrup this year, up from the 312,000 gallons in 2010, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says.

While the success of the industry varies from year to year based largely on the weather and the economy —factors out of the control of producers — one negative influence that can be controlled is being tackled in Washington.

The issue
A recent federal investigation revealed intentional mislabeling of sugar products to claim they were maple syrup. Specifically, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration determined that a Rhode Island man was marketing and selling a product as maple syrup when, in fact, it was cane sugar. Cane sugar costs about 2 percent as much as real maple syrup, thus defrauding consumers who believed that they were purchasing real maple syrup.

The background
Currently, this form of food fraud is only a misdemeanor, with the maximum penalty for such a misdemeanor being one year in jail.

A proposal in the U.S. Senate, the bipartisan Maple Agriculture Protection and Law Enforcement (MAPLE) Act, would make the crime a felony, thus increasing the maximum penalty from one year to five years in prison.

What’s next
The legislation must pass the Senate and then a companion bill pass in the House, before it is signed into law by the president.

Meanwhile, those shopping for maple syrup this holiday season and all year can be confident they are getting the real deal when they buy directly from producers (check the list by the New York State Maple Producers Association, www.nysmaple.com/) or from reliable sources, like the New York Wine and Culinary Center in Canandaigua, which has a direct relationship with its suppliers. “We are familiar with our producers; we talk to our producers,” said Chrys Baldwin, the center’s education director. About a dozen New York state maple producers are represented at the center, whose chefs use the products sold there in recipes and workshops.