Maple syrup event
The maple syrup event was the presence of a particular scent in New York City, and the response to this smell by the residents, various media outlets, and government agencies.History
Reports of the events are said to have begun in the fall of 2005, as first reported by Gothamist and continued sporadically into early 2009.
New Yorkers feared the sweet smell was a form of chemical warfare. The scent was eventually traced to its source, a Frutarom Industries Ltd. factory in northern New Jersey, which was processing fenugreek seeds, commonly used in maple syrup substitutes. This source was traced through a collaborative process between the citizens of New York City, the city's 311 system, the New York City Office of Emergency Management, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, and a working group which gathered and analyzed atmospheric data. The ingredient was fenugreek seeds, which was commonly used in many foods including curry powder, vanilla flavoring, and imitation maple flavor for pancake syrup.
