There are still more slimy details surfacing in the Quebec Maple Syrup Scandal. Now, there’s even more evidence that Steve Bourdeau was playing with legal and regulatory fire. Some cans of his syrup sold outside Quebec bear labels concealing their true origin!
A new label has been placed over the original, concealing
the true source of the disputed Maple Syrup…
Will this embarrassing episode never end?
I know there is still the issue of whether Quebec Maple Syrup Produce Steve Bourdeau will be crim-inally charged for labelling his sugar-diluted syrup as ‘pure’. And we still don’t know what the PPAQ (Québec’s Maple Producers’ cartel) may do to him.
More than just Quebec
This scandal could not only damage Québec’s reputation as the world’s largest and most-trusted Ma-ple Products Producer. It could make Canada, as a whole, look bad internationally. So it’s definitely worth following this story to its bitter-sweet end.
What happened…
A CBC – Radio Canada investigation revealed that a major Québec Maple Syrup producer, Steve Bour-deau of Saint-Chrysostome, QC, had been selling his products without the knowledge of permision of the PPAQ in NewBrunswick and Ontario. Not only that. It turned out he had been importing syrup from those two neighbour provinces and canning it under his own label – which identified it as ‘Pro-duct of Québec’. But it was worse than that. He was found to be diluting his syrup with white, cane sugar, while labelling it ‘Pure’.
The Radio Canada story reported Bourdeau had been cutting his syrup with as much as 50 percent sugar – and still selling it for $5 a can out of province. That’s wholesale. Cans matching Bourdeau’s are still selling at one major Ontario supermarket, as I write this, for $9.99 retail. They bear an ad-hesive label over the original stating the product was ‘Enballé pour: Le Syrup Angela’ – ‘Packaged for: Le Syrup Angela’.
What’s happening now?
The PPAQ has filed complaints with both the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Quebec’s Agri-culture Ministry. Those may take weeks or even months to produce results.
Several stores have removed Bourdeau’s products from shelves and are offering those who can prove they bought the doctored syrup refunds.
Ministerial furor
Meanwhile, Québec Agriculture Minister Donald Martel expressed shock and dismay on learning of the scandal.
“It truly outrages me. Quebec consumers don’t deserve this,” Martel told Radio-Canada. “Maple pro-ducts are kind of part of our heritage. Anyone who wants to mess with that, well, I don’t have much respect for them.”
“We have rules, we make sure that these rules are followed, we do a very rigorous job in this regard. We’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again,” he added.
My take
Martel focus – as Quebec politicians often do – hyper-narrowly on the insult he claims Bourdeau has slung at Quebec consumers. Alas… He ignores the real issues. First, the bogus syrup was sold mainly, if not entirely, outside Québec.
Second, Quebec produces 80 percent of the world’s Maple Syrup. Now, the rest of the world may be wondering what other frauds and deceptions Canadian food pro-ducers are pulling – perhaps on goods for export!
~ Maggie J.