See the previous post for background. Here’s an idea for discussion.
What if Section III part (1) of the Vermont maple regulations was replaced with the following:
1) Producers, processors and dealers in maple syrup may use any grading system, subject to the following:
a. “Fancy Grade” or “Fancy,” if used, may be used only for pure maple syrup that meets the requirements of “golden maple syrup with a delicate taste” as defined by the International Maple Syrup Institute (IMSI), or equivalent.
b. “Grade A,” if used, may be used only for pure maple syrup that meets the requirements of “very dark maple syrup with a strong taste” or lighter as defined by the IMSI, or equivalent.
George's VAFPDB Blog 
Well a lot of time has passed since George’s comments. In particular we have held the three public hearings on grade change. The last one concluded last evening in Hyde Park at the tech. center. During the meetings a excellent discussion was had and many good points came out for implementing the grade change. One example: Many people were concerned about label design. They want to see samples with all these color and flavor descriptors on a label. Also, an excellent comment was make sure the label has the word “Vermont” in the grade as our current grading system does.
I personally think we should adopt the IMSI proposed grades while keeping the Vermont maple law in place and the requirements of our syrup being thicker than the national/international standards. The fact that the name Vermont will be on the product and the associated standards that go along with a Vermont product will make our product special. I do not think we should have multiple sets of grading standards as it would be too confusing.