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Vermont is far and away the leading producer of maple syrup in the United States. It produces slightly more than 40 percent of nation’s total. New York and Maine are second and third, each producing about a third of Vermont’s total according to Farm and Dairy (June 15, 2015), which can be seen outline at: http://www.farmanddairy.com/top-stories/vermont-still-leads-u-s-in-maple-syrup-production/265545.html
The northeast produces the bulk of the syrup in the United States, but Midwestern states including Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio also have substantial output, as does Pennsylvania.
The Canadian province of Quebec, however, is the world’s largest producer, with an output many times that of Vermont. http://www.maplesyrupworld.com/pages/Top-Regions-Producers-of-Maple-Syrup.html
Maple syrup may be an afterthought or a “niche” market to people from “away,” but in Vermont it is an economically important business. The state has strong laws to protect the use of the name “maple,” since it is so closely tied to Vermont. The state vigorously attacks mass marketers who want to gain from the perceived quality of pure maple products without incurring the added cost. Products may contain no maple or just a small percent (5 %) and try to use the name “maple” but that is illegal. Sneakier still is the use of similar packaging or brand names that imply a quality product that is just not there.
In 2011, for example, the State of Vermont got into a dispute with McDonald's over its “Fruit and Maple Oatmeal,” which as the Vermont Agency of Agriculture noted: "there is no actual maple in the product being advertised.” The ingredient list included brown sugar, natural maple “flavor” and caramel color. McDonald’s agreed to modify the product for sale in Vermont.
Similarly, most mass market pancake syrups contain no maple syrup at all. Consider the brand “Vermont Maid” (instead of “made”), which offers “the taste New England Loves” on the assumption New Englanders prefer no maple syrup on their pancakes. Its ingredients include: high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, water, natural and artificial maple flavor, cellulose gum, caramel color, sodium benzoate and sorbic acid. Picture the tree that stuff comes from. http://vermontmaple.org/what-is-real-maple/
Or, worse yet, consider the case of Maypo, which sells itself as “Vermont style” “maple oatmeal” with “all natural flavoring.” Its list of ingredients shows more sugar than maple syrup.
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