The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-08-24 00:00:00

THE ADULTERATION OF FOOD.

The Act to amend the law for the prevention of adul-
teration of foal, drink, and drugs, which received the
Royal assent on the prorogation of Parliament, has
just been issued. It recites that the practice of
adulterating articles of food and drink and drugs
for sale, in fraud of Her Majesty's Pubjects, to the
great hurt of their health and danger to their lives,
requires to be repressed by more effectual laws than
those which were in force for that purpose. As the
law now stands, every permn who shall wilfully admix,
and every person who shall order any other person to
admix, with any article of food or drink any injurious
or poisonous ingredient or material to adulterate the
same, and every person who shall wilfully admix, and
every person who shall order any person to admix, any
ingredient or material with any drug to adulterate the
same, shall for the first offence forfeit and pay a
penalty not exceeding I:50, and for the second offence
Alan be guilty ot a misdemeanour, and be imprisoned
for a period not exceeding six calendar months.
The penalty on a person selling articles of food or
drink or drugs which they know to have been adul-
terated to be not exceeding I:20 and to pay costs,
"and if any person vu convicted shall afterwards com-
mit the like offence such justices, sheriff-substitute,
magistrate, or divisional justice shall cause such
offender's name, place of abode, and offence to be pub-
lished at the expellee of such offender in such news-
paper, or in such manner, as to the said justices shall
seem desirable." Any person who shall sell any article
of food or drink or any drug knowing the same to have
been mixed with any other substance with intent
fraudulently to increase its weight or bulk, and who
shall not declare such admixture to any purchaser
thereof before delivering the same, and no oilier, shall
be deemed to have sold an adulterated article of food
or drink or drug, as the case may be, under this Act.
The Pharmacy Act, 186 S, is to be incorporated with
the present statute.
Analysts are to be appointed at various places, and
inspectors of nuisances may submit articles of food to
be analyzed. The analysts appointed are to make re-
ports quarterly to the local authorities. Proof is to be
given of the identity of the articles submitted to
analysts. A purchaser in any place where there is an
analyst appointed under this Act may require the same
to be analyzed. The articles of food, itc., ordered for
analysis are to be received and samples retained by the
Inspectors.
The expense of executing this Act shall be borne in
the city of I .ondon and the liberties thereof out of the
consolidated rates raised by the Commissioners of
Sewers of the City of London, and in the rest of the
metropolis out of the rates or funds applicable for the
better local management, and in counties out of the
county rate, or out of the grand jury coifs in Ireland,
and in boroughs out of the borough fund, and in Scot-
land out of the police money in counties and boroughs
respectively.
The Act is not to affect the power of proceeding by
lzdi-tnss-st or to take away any other remedy against
any offender under this Act.