New sugar label rules about maple syrup, honey coming soon

PORTLAND, Maine — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says new guidance about added sugars that will provide an alternate labeling option for pure maple syrup and honey will be released next year.

The agency announced months ago that it was considering requiring pure maple syrup and honey to be labeled as containing "added sugars." Members of the industries that produce those products protested the labels, saying they would be misleading and unfair.

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said Thursday that the new guidelines will provide "a path forward for pure, single-ingredient" maple syrup and honey products, and the agency is considering an option that is not the standard "added sugar" declaration that will appear on other types of products.