The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-09-10
WORRY ABOUT 1T.
Manufacturers Wonder About
Our Food Laws.
Little Effort Made In Topeka to
Enforce Them.
MANY RESTRICTIONS.
Adulteration Of All Food Stuffs
Prohibited.
Law lis Stringent and the Pen
atty Severe.
MANY RESTRICTIONS

reported to all the food manufacturing
establishments and wholesale groceries,
there seems to be a remarkable revival
of interest in the pure food laws of
Kansas.
Fearing that they may be caught
mapping by Food Inspector Farms
worth, the manufacturers are writ
ing to him for copies OF the existing
laws on the subject. FarnsWorth can
do anything for them, he says. because
there is no compilation of the pure food
laws, and no money with which to
make such a compilation.
Here are few samples of the letters
on this subject, which Mr.. Farnsworth
says are coming to his office every day
from all parts of the country:
Rochester, N. Y.
1--WE would appreciate the courtesy
If you would kindly send us for our
laws of your state. Thanking you in
advance for the same, we remain, yours
ii. HUNGERsFoRD SMITH CO"
Chicago, Ills.
please mail US a copy of the exist
ing pure food laws of your state, and
"LOVERIN & BROWNE CO..
Chicago, Ills.
Would you be good enough to send
to me copy of your pure food laws, and
especially copies of any rulings you
may have made with respect to crushed
fruits, syrups and extracts for use as
soda fountain f1avors or for bottling soft
u. C. BOSS"
There seems to be an abundance of
laws on the Kansas statutes to prohibit
the adulteration not only of food, but
of drugs, liquors and oil. Under the
general crimes section, the penalty for
adulterating provisions is fixed as fine
INN rico 17a114
not to exceed six months. For adulter-
ating drugs or liquors, the penalty is
fine not to exceed $500 and impr1Son-
ment not to exceed one year. So 1t
seems to be worse in Kansas to adulter-
ate beer and whisky than to adulterate
groceries and food stuffs.
The state law also treats of the adul-
teration of milk, cheese. and vinegar
under special sections. The most inn
portant part of the law however, seems
to be included in section 1925 of the gen
eral statutes of 1901, which defines adul-
teration. The defining is as follows:
'Sec. 1925. Adulterated. An arti-
Gle shall be deemed to be adulterated
within the meaning of this act; first,
in case of drugs when sold under or
by a name recognized in the United
States pharma copoeia, it differs from
the standard of strength. quality or
purity laid down therein; second, if
when sold under a name not recog-
nized in the United States pharma-
cODOela or 9th er STANDARD WOrk OF IIld-
terra medica it differs materially from
the standard of strength, quality or
purity laid down in such work; third
if it's strength, quality or purity falls
below the Drofessed standard under
which it is sold.
I'm the case of food, first if any
substance or substances have been
mixed with it so as to lower or depre-
ciate or injuriously affect its quality,
purity or strength; second, if any in
"a ri oh substances
have been substituted or in part OF 1t;
third, of any valuable or necessary in
gredient or constituent has been whoi-
ly or in part distracted from it;
sold under the name of another arti-
Gle; fifth, if it consists wholly or
in par of diseased. decom-
posed, putrid. infected, = tainted
or rotten animal or vegetable sub
stance or article, whether manufac-
tured or not, or in the case of milk, II
it is the product of diseased animal;
sixth, if it is colored, coated, poI1shed
or powdered whereby damage or in
feriority is concealed, or if by any
means it is made to appear of greater
value than it really is; seventh, II 1t
contains any added substance or in
gredient which is poisonous or in
furious to health, or any deleterious
substance not a necessary ingredient
of it's manufacture; provided that the
provisions of this act shall not apply
as ordinary articles of food, if the
same be distinctly labeled as mixtures
or compounds, and are not injurious
to health, and contain no articles not
necessary to the preparation of gen.
uine article of such mixtures or COM
pounds, and from which no necessary
ingredient in its preparation is elm
mated"
The penalty for violation of this act
is a fine of from $25 to 800 and jail
sentence of from 80 to 100 days in Jail.
1t is also required that every person
offering any food stuff or drug for sale
shall furnish to anyone interested, a
sample sufficient for analysis, on pay
ment of the market price, and that If
the substance is found to be adultera-
ted the person manufacturing, selling
or offering for sale the adulterated sub
stance shall pay the cost of the ana
lysis.
Under this law man could be pros
ecuted for putting "toppers" on a bar
rel of apples or a basket of peaches.
In some particulars the law might
be found to be wanting If attacked
in the courts, but the indications are
that it would be strong enough to
make trouble for a lot of the food
stuffs and drugs now offered on the
public markets.
A woman would rather go shopping