but generally, the auditor will do an inspection of the physical location and interview employees to ensure they know the policies and procedures for the production of organic maple syrup. What is involved in an organic audit? This can vary. These objective third-party auditors will usually visit the facility once a year. The certification body will usually contract out their auditing tasks to independent organic auditors. So what does organic certification of maple syrup entail? Usually, it means an audit by an independent auditor. Ours looks like this:Ĭertification bodies are the organizations that perform organic audits on maple syrup farms and facilities that are certified organic maple syrup production. The organization that grants the certification will often have their logo on the organic maple syrup packaging as well. For maple syrup, some of the common ones are Quality Assurance International and EcoCert. Organic certification is done by a certification body. Just look for an organic symbol like these: How do you know if your maple syrup is certified organic? It's easy. If it is to be called organic maple syrup, then it must be certified as such by an organic certification body that can certify organic maple syrup. You can't just say your maple syrup is organic. Organic Certification For Maple SyrupĮven if you follow all the best practices and rules. This paperwork and record keeping usually constitutes the bulk of the extra work and the eventual cost that is passed on to the consumer in the form of a higher price. There is also an annual audit that takes place by the certification body. Production plans, production records, complaint logs, sales records, inventory records, product traceability, and sitemaps are all required for organic maple syrup producers to keep on file. During the maple syrup season, only approved chemicals may be used for cleaning these pans, and vinegar or fermented sap may be used at the end of the maple syrup season. This is generally achieved through the limitation of concentration of the maple sap.ĭuring the time that the sap is boiled, organic maple syrup producers must use only stainless steel pans, and only certified organic oils as de-foamers. Organic maple syrup producers must ensure that no mineral components of sap are removed during this process. This cuts down on labour as well as fuel costs. Maple syrup producers normally use a reverse osmosis system to process sap before boiling. The only disinfectant allowed, which ensures there are no bacteria in the tap hole when the tree is tapped, for organic maple syrup producers is food grade ethyl alcohol. There are limitations to the size of maple trees that organic maple syrup producers can tap, the trees must have a diameter larger than 20cm at chest height in order to be tapped. Tubing to collect maple syrup must be installed with protectors to avoid damaging maple trees. Organic maple syrup producers are not allowed to cut undergrowth, and their fertilizer use is limited to the occasional use of wood ash, lime, or other allowed fertilizers. Organic maple syrup producers must also keep maps of all their sites, as well as buffers if they are close to farmland or Christmas tree lots using prohibited materials such as pesticides.

Organic maple syrup producers must ensure the presence of 15% companion species, which means at least 15% of the trees in their woodlot must not be maple. Small operators have 2000-3000 taps on their sites, while larger operators may have over 150,000 taps on one site. Organic Trees and the Forestĭuring the Maple Syrup season, maple syrup producers have selected sites where there is an abundance of maple trees. Although different regulatory agencies require and impose different restrictions, there are a few common items that differentiate organic maple syrup and non-organic maple syrup (conventional). There are more restrictions on how Organic Maple Syrup can be produced compared to conventional maple syrup. I bet you didn't think maple syrup could be complicated? These differences include where the maple trees are tapped, how the maple trees are tapped, how the sap is collected and stored, and so on. There are many key differences between the organic and non-organic maple syrup. What are the Differences with Organic Maple Syrup? The pure, in pure maple syrup, means that there is only one ingredient in each bottle you have in the fridge, that being maple syrup and it comes from trees. Organic food products are grown naturally using few or no chemicals, pesticides, radiation, or genetic engineering. Let's dig into it and you can find out more. To answer your question, there is a difference. Is there a difference? This is a common question we get asked.