Gabe’s syrup study cited in Mainebiz report on misleading maple claims
University of Maine economist Todd Gabe’s 2014 study on the maple industry’s financial impact on the state was cited in the Mainebiz article, “Lawmakers push for action against misleading maple claims.” A delegation from Maine, including U.S. Sens. Angus King and Susan Collins, as well as U.S. Reps. Chellie Pingree and Bruce Poliquin, joined 27 other members of Congress in a letter urging the commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to exercise legal authority to investigate and take action against products that falsely claim to contain maple syrup, according to the article. Another letter signed by 11 maple producers’ associations, including the Maine Maple Producers Association, was included with the lawmakers’ letter to the commissioner. The letter from the maple producers alleges widespread intentional mislabeling of products as containing real maple syrup, the article states. Gabe’s study found that including multiplier effects, Maine’s maple syrup industry annually contributes $49 million in revenue, 805 full- and part-time jobs, and $25 million in wages to the state’s economy.