UPDATE: Some grocery stores have removed certain products from their shelves following an investigation by Radio-Canada. For the latest developments, click here.
An expose by Radio-Canada’s Enquête program has exposed a prominent Quebec maple syrup producer for selling counterfeit maple syrup in containers available for purchase in stores.
The investigation commenced unexpectedly when a Radio-Canada reporter noticed an unusual taste in the maple syrup he bought at a retail outlet, prompting him to question the product’s authenticity.
Through their inquiry, Enquête traced the suspect can, labeled as “pure maple syrup,” back to a manufacturer located in Saint-Chrysostome in the Montérégie region southwest of Montreal, known as Steve Bourdeau.
Bourdeau’s syrup containers are affiliated with his numbered company 9227-8712 Québec inc. or are branded under the name “Érablière Steve Bourdeau.”
After procuring five random cans of Bourdeau’s syrup from various stores and different batches, Enquête submitted them to the provincial laboratory, le centre ACER, responsible for the inspection and quality assurance of maple syrup in Quebec, for thorough analysis.
The findings were conclusive.
All five cans, each labeled as “pure maple syrup,” were found to contain a minimum of 50 percent cane sugar.
Luc Lagacé, a microbiologist and research director at ACER, conveyed to Enquête, “This is the first instance I’ve encountered such falsification. It is evident that cane sugar has been deliberately added to the containers.”
“This is not an inadvertent occurrence. It is intentional,” he added.
An investigation by Radio-Canada’s Enquête team was initiated after a journalist noticed an unusual taste in maple syrup bought from a store. Subsequent lab tests uncovered foreign sugar in the product, leading to a covert visit to the farm where it was produced.
‘Not entirely lawful’
Two individuals, acting as representatives for a grocery store, engaged with Bourdeau at the behest of Enquête</em