Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1903-07-30
BETTER FOOD PRODUCTS.

BETTER FOOD PRODUCTS.
In answer to some criticisms of his
policy in the enforcement of the pure
food law of the state Prof. E. F. Laid,
pure food commissioner, in a recent
statement to the public explains why
it is not possible 70 achieve the object
of the law in a moment. He says:
For the past three months we have de-
voted attention almost wholly to
the examination of food products that
were being shipped into North Da-
kota, and hundreds Of samples have
been turned back as not meeting the
requirements of the pure food law.
1t is impossible for one man to i'm.
mediately inspect all the food prod
ucts now on sale in North Dakota. 1t
will De found in nearly every instance
that where there is a violation of the
law 1t is due to improper labelling. and
not to the presence of injurious or
harmful products. | think | NAV safe
ly say that the harmful products have
been pretty generally weeded out and
under the terms of the statement made
in press bulletin No. II, Food prod.
.ucts that contain harmful ingredients
are not exempt from inspection"
Merchants pretty generally over
the state offer to label their goods as
"adulterated or mixed" where they
would not meet the requirements of
the law, if would give them a state
ment as to which ones should be so
labeled. No man could accomplish
this feat. The goods wherever found
are to be inspected as fast as we can
reach them and wherever harmful
products are found their sale is pro.
hihited; but where goods are only i'm.
properly labeled this fact will be
pointed out and merchants required
to correct the labelling.
With an appropriation of only ST..
500 as compared with $50 900 for Min.
nesota and with an additional income
of than $4,000 from fines we can
hardly expect n man to accomplish
the work that is being done by eigh.
teen in our sister state.
We still maintain that it was a her.
ter policy to allow the merchants to
dispose of the harmless products. d.
recting them in selecting pure prod.
ucts, Than it would have been to force
them to remove from the state prod
ucts which they have no means of de-
termining as a~dulterated. In fact it
Is questionable whether such goods
woulC have been removed from the
state or sold in direct violation of the
law with chances of being prosecuted
All goods that come into the state
after July 1st are subject to inspec.
ton and in fact a large proportion of
the goods received during the months
OF May and June were inspected by
requests of merchants and those in
noncompliance with the law rejected,
If the friends of the pure food law
Will render such assistance as they can
| believe that in almost every instance
1t will be found that honest and relia-
Die merchants are taking every pre-
caution TO comply with the law. | do
not take it that it was the intention
of the law makers to work an unnec
essary hardship where there was nc
intentional violation of the law and
where slight infractions. If such ex
listed would not prove an immediate
injury to the health of the person con
Stunning the food.
Three things for which we have
been ~contending in North Dakota
namely:
First, that chemical pr~eservatives
arc not to be used in food products.
Second, that coal tar and analir
dyes or other harmful colors are to b,
prohibited in food products; and
Third that all food products are tt
be labeled true to name, were tn,
principal topic for discussion at tn,
National Convention of Food Commits
sioners recently held in st. Paul an,
resolutions were adopted unanimousl,
commenting this lire Of work for tn
twenty-nine states represented.
1t is very evident that within tn
next two years there is to be a marke
reaction in regard to the food proc
ucts now found on the market. A
coloring matter will disappear, harm
fMl products will be eliminated, chen