The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-10-30
Food Men At Work.

The recently appointed Dairy and Food
Commissioner, levi Wells, Is getting
ready for vigorous prosecution of the
laws prohibiting the manufacture and
sale of imitation butter and the adultera-
tion of foods, including vinegar, jellies,
cider. evaporated apples and all apple
products. The law against the traffic in
oleomargarine. passed in 1885, provides "A
fine of not less than 500, nor more than
$500, and imprisonment of not less than
10 days, nor more than 20 days, for viola
tions of the statute. An amendment adj
ded to the law at the last session provides
that the amount of one-half the fines
previously allowed informers be paid in
TO the state treasury, for the use of the
department of agriculture. One of the
acts passed by the last legislature prohib-
its the adulteration of all articles used
for food or drink by man, whether simple,
mixed or compound. Food will be deem
ed to be aduiterated if any substance has
been mixed with it to injuriously affect
its quality, strength or purity: if any
cheaper or inferior substance has been
substituted wholly or in part for it: If any
valuable or necessary constituent or
ingredient has been wholly or in part
abstracted from it; if it is an imitation of
or is sold under the name of another
article; if il contains any diseased animal
or vegetable substance or article. whether
manufactured or not. Milk. to pass
muster, must not be colOred, coated, pol
ished or powdered, whereby damage or
infeTiority is concealed, or it is made 10
appear Of greater value than il is. Any
added substance of a poisonous or iniuri-
ous character is considered among the
adulteratious. The act does not apply To
mixtures or compounds recognized rs or
dinary articles or ingredients of articles of
food, if each package sold or offered for
sale be distinctly labeled as mixtures or
compounds, and are not injurious to health.
The penalty for refusing samples of food
for analysis is not exceeding 20 days i'm
prisonment and a fine not exceeding $50.
\ similar penalty and fine is impossible
for manufacturing or selling adulterated
food, and persons convicted of either of
these offenses are required to pay the
necessary expenses incurred in inspecting
and analyzing adulterated articles found
in their possession.
The act with regard 10 impurities OF
vinegar and other apple products en-
powers the dairy and food commissioner
and his assistants 10 have full access and
ingress to and egress from all places of
business, mills, buildings, carriages, cars.
vessels and barrels, tanks and packages
of whatever kind, used in the manufae-
ture, transportation and the sale of any
apples products or adulteration or imita-
tion of them, and TO open vessels con-
tanning them.
MEANS To ENFORCE THE LAW.
These several laws the dairy and food
commissioner intends To enforce as
thoroughly as the $4,000 appropriated for
the next two years will permit. Mr.
Wells is now preparing for the guidance
of his agents, who are to procure samples
of articles sold, the number found adul-
terated in Ohio, in which of about 200
arsicles analyzed, 500 were found by the
authorities Of that state TO have been
adulterated. There will he no conceal
ment in the proposed investigation. Every
dealer who may receive visit from the
dairy and food commissioners agents
Will be told that the samples sought to be
purchased are intended to he analyzed in
the interest of the consumption of pure
food.
Thomas j. Edge, secretary of the de-