Victory is the sweetest taste of all

Chalk up another win for the food police of Vermont. Who knew hippies could be so stubborn? Starting February 1, McDonald’s customers in the state will be able to request 100 percent real maple syrup with their Fruit and Maple Oatmeal, after the Vermont Agency of Agriculture (VAA) called the company out for using the term maple in its advertising earlier this month.

Remember, there is no actual maple product in the menu item, which is kind of a violation of Vermont’s strict maple law.

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin said that the only maple ingredient found in the Fruit and Maple Oatmeal was extracted from the bark of a bush that is a distant relative of the maple tree. That didn’t sit well with state officials, who immediately contacted McDonald’s about the sweet stuff.

For you eaters outside of Vermont, getting real maple syrup in your oatmeal remains a DIY-project. This settlement applies only to Vermont locations. Grrr.