The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-10-09 00:00:00

THE NEW ADULTERATION ACT.

On Friday, the Ist inst., the Act to repeal the
former Statutes n adulterations and to make better
provision for the sale of food and drugs in a pure and
genuine condition came into operation. The term
"food" includes every article used for food or drink
by man other than drugs or water, and " drugs " com-
prises medicine for internal and external use. The new
law has application to the United Kingdom, and makes
an important alteration as ..;co offences. hitherto it
was sufficient to show that an article was adulterated,
and many shopkeepers have been fined for selling c
modities as they received them It is now provided
that if the defendant in any prosecution prove to the
satisfaction of the Court that he had purchased the
article in question as the same in nature' substance,
and quality as that demanded of him by the pro4e-
cutor, "and with a written warranty to that effect,"
that he had no reason to believe at the time when he
s.)lcl it that the article was otherwise, and that he sold
it in the same state as when he purchased it, he shall
be discharged from the prosecution, but shall be liable
to pay the costs incurred unless he has given due notice
that he would rely on the above defence.
The )ffences under the new law are described, and an
Act prohibits the mixing of injurious ingredients, and
the selling of the same, under heavy penalties, with excep-
tion in ea ,e of proof of absence of knowledge. It intist be
shown that such article is injurious to health; but the
result is to be different where the ingredient is not in-
jurious to health, and was not used fraudulently to
conceal the bulk or the inferior quality of the article.
No person is to abstract any part of an article before
sale and to sell it without notice.

The Act provides for the appointment of analysts
in the United Kingdom. Any purchaser of an article
of food or a drug can have the same analysed at an ex-
pense of 10s. 6d. Any medical officer of health, in-
spector of nuisances, or inspector of weights and
measures, or any inspector of a market, or any police.
constable acting under the direction and at the cost of
the local authority, may procure a sample and submit
it to be analysed, and a person refusing to sell the
same is to be liable to a penalty not exceeding £lO.
After an article has been analysed proceedings may be
taken, and every penalty may be reduced or miti-
gated. Another alteration in the Act is that a de-
fendant may, if he think fit, tender himself and
his wife to be examined. Justices, on any complaint
before them, may send an article to the Inland Re-
venue Commissioners to be analyzed. An appeal is
given to the Quarter Sessions. For forging a certifi-
cate or warranty, the offender is to be liable to two
years' imprisonment, with hard labour; and for a wil-
ful misapplication of a warranty, or for a fake war-
ranty or fal,e label, to a penalty of £2O. From and
i
after the first of January next tea s to be examined
by Customs officers on importation, and if found to be
unfit for human food is to be forfeited and destroyed.
There are several provisions as to the execution of the
Act in England, Ecotland, and Ireland,