Maple Supervision Authority
| File:MSAflag.png MSA patch | |
| Government Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1976AD |
| Jurisdiction | Brytene |
| Headquarters | The Reserve, Hamtun |
| Employees | 180 |
| Annual budget | $45,200,000 |
| Government Agency executive |
|
| Website | www.maple.bry |
The Maple Supervisory Authority (MSA) is the Brytisc government agency responsible for overseeing the national maple syrup market, including food safety standards, quality control, export regulations, and more. Created in 1976 with near-unanimous approval from the Thegn Rede, it employs a staff of just under 200 and has a budget of more than $45 million per year. The Brytisc maple trade is the largest in Atlas, with Brytisc maple syrup accounting for roughly 80% of the global maple syrup market and more than one billion dollars per year, and so the MSA is an important and vital part of the economic and governmental machinery of the Brytisc export industry.
Duties
The MSA charter lists the responsibilities of the Authority:
- Grading and labelling all maple syrup produced in Brytene
- Providing public awareness and publicity of maple syrup
- Regulating maple syrup manufacturers
- Supporting the maple syrup industry in Brytene
- Assisting the Rihtgemot in preventing maple-based fraud or crime
- Maintaining the Strategic Maple Reserve
As well as promoting the growth, sale, export and consumption of maple syrup, the MSA has a consumer protection role, ensuring customers that they are receiving accurately-labelled and quality maple syrup. The MSA qualifies syrups in the following manner:
- Grade A
- Golden colour, mildest taste, >75% translucent
- Amber colour, mild taste, 50-74.9% translucent
- Dark colour, strong taste, 25-49.9% translucent
- Very Dark colour, strongest taste<25% translucent
- Processing Grade
- Substandard
As long as maple syrup does not have an off-flavor and is of a uniform color and clean and free from cloudiness, turbidity, sediment, it can be identified as one of the A grades above. If it does exhibit any of the problems mentioned earlier, it does not meet Grade A requirements and must be labeled as Processing Grade maple syrup. If maple syrup does not meet the requirements of Processing Grade maple syrup (including a fairly characteristic maple taste), it is classified as Substandard.
Only Grade A maple syrup may be sold directly to consumers. Processing grade maple syrup may be used only as flavouring for other ingredients, such as maple cookies, maple candy, etcetera. Substandard maple syrup must be destroyed.
Governance
The MSA board records and broadcasts all meetings via the internet. It is considered a branch of the Brytisc Rede and is subject to normal governmental standards. The Chief Executive is appointed by the Witenagmot and is subject to yearly performance reviews.
Personnel and jurisdiction
The MSA is surprisingly powerful. It has the power to liase directly with international food safety authorities and police agencies. MSA agents are able to obtain search warrants almost instantly if they believe inferior or dangerous production methods or conditions are being used at a manufacturer location, and they may seize and impound any and all maple-related equipment and material at a location if they have good cause to believe MSA standards are being compromised.
All maple stands and forests are subject to MSA inspections.
Companies which attempt to avoid, cheat, or bypass MSA inspections, regulations, or rulings may be subject to an inquest and can be shut down permanently. Tampering with maple syrup, damaging maple trees without written MSA permission, and other maple-related crimes can result in heavy fines and even jail time.
The MSA also administers the Strategic Reserve, a managed reserve of maple in a secure, classified location which serves as an emergency store in case of some kind of maple-related catastrophic or economic disaster.