General Provisions

• All syrup producers must be state-licensed and undergo yearly inspections by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to ensure processing, handling and storage guidelines are followed.
  
  

Organic Syrup Prerequisites

• In addition to meeting the general conditions, organic maple syrup producers must gather sap from forests that have not been exposed to any chemicals or pesticides to control disease or pests. The use of formaldehyde in the tapping procedures is prohibited. Organic syrup is gathered only from trees that have a tapping limit on them.
  
  

Non-Organic Syrup Conditions

• While most non-organic maple syrup producers follow the many of the same guidelines as the organic ones, unless the syrup label certifies it as organic, there is no guarantee of what practices were used.