The food we eatMaple syrup producer ends factory floor tours
For almost a century Maple Grove Farms of St. Johnsbury, Vermont, has produced maple syrup and maple candies; for much of that time, tourists have been able to watch the production process from the factory floor — but not anymore: fears about terrorists, disguised as visitors, contaminating some of the more than twelve million pounds of maple products processed every year lead company to end tours
Terrorism concerns are keeping tourists off the factory floor at one of the U.S. largest maple production facilities in the northern state of Vermont.
For almost a century Maple Grove Farms of St. Johnsbury has produced maple syrup and maple candies. For much of that time, tourists have been able to watch the production process from the factory floor.
The Canadian Press reports that this is no longer the case. The Barre-Montpelier Times Argus says the factory that processes twelve million pounds of maple products a year is not prohibited by the post 9/11 security guidelines from giving factory tours.
Maple Grove general manager Steve Jones says, however, that retrofitting the plant to separate tourists from the production equipment with something such as a glass partition is too expensive.
Maple Grove’s museum and gift shop are unaffected.
