The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-12-28
PURE FOOD LAW


national pure food law, law that is
the result of the various bills passed by
the senate and house of representatives,
as finally agreed on by conferences and
approved by President Roosevelt.
The operation of the law is being
looked forward to with great interest not
ONLY bv the manufacturers of food pro-
ducts and drugs, but by the wholesale
and jobbing concerns, the retailers and
last, but not least, the consumers them
selves.
The pure food law declares that 1t
shall be unlawful for any person to
manufacture within the territory of the
United States any article OF food or
drug which is aduterated or misbranded.
ANY person violating the law shall be
guilty of a misdemeanOr and for each
offense, upon conviction, shall be fined
not to exceed $500 or shall be sentenced
to one years imprisonment or both fine
and imprisonment at the discretion of
the court.
The penalty is made even more dras:.
tic in ease of subsequent Offenses OF
the same nature, when 70 conviction may
carry with it fine of not less than
81 900 or Imprisonment for one year, or
both the fine and Imprisonment.
Local jobbing houses dealing in food
stuffs and quite large number OF in
dividuals interested in the provisions OF
the new law have been receiving copies
of the same, and it is reported that
some of the large manufacturing con-
Germs that have been distributing goods
through the Duluth market, have been
calling in certain brands of their goods
from retail stores all over the Northwest
with a view of having the shelves clear
ed before the pure food law becomes OPP
erative.
Not only does the pure food law pro-
hibit the manufacture of adulterated or
misbranded foOdstuffs and drugs within
the confines of the United States, but
it prohibits the shipment from or to
| any foreign country of goods that shall
come within the meaning of the law.
The penalty for violation of the pro-
visions of the act are even more severe,
the fine for the first Offense or subse-
quent offenses being heavier than in the
| first instance.
The law makes it the duty of the Sec
agriculture and the secretary of COM
mere and labor to make such uniform
| rules and regulations as may be neces-
sary to carry out the provisions of the
law, including the collection and exam
nation of specimens of foods or drugs
manufactured or offered for sale in un-
broken packages in any other Statesman
| that in WHICH they shall have been res
pectively manufactured or produced.
The examinations of specimens of food
stuffs and drugs will be made in the
bureau of chemistry of the department
of agriculture, or under its supervision.
If any violation OF the law is discovered
the United States district attorney is to
be notified and that official is directed to
proceed at once to prosecute the offender
or offenders against whom any health o:
food drug officer shall present saticfac-
tory evidence in the proper proceedings
will be commenced in the proper courts
of the United States
The law says that the term drug shall
include all medicines and preparations
recognized in the Unied States pharma-
copocia or tional1formultary, for inter
nal or external use, and any substance or
| mixture of substances intended to be
| used for the cure, relief or prevention of
disease of either man or other animals.
| The term food" within the meaning
of the law includes all articles nsed for
| food, drink, confectionery or condiment
by man or other animals, whether sim
| pie, mixed or compound. Ae
The pure> food law states in some de-
tail what shall be considered an adultera-
of nd
the case of foods says that authorizations
| vii be considered as follows:
If substance has been packed or
mixed with it so as to reduce, lower
or injuriously effect its quality or
strength.
If any valuable constituent of the ar
ticle has been wholly or in part alb
stracted.
If it be mixed, colored, powdered, coat
ed or stained in a manner whereby dam
age on inferiority is concealed.
| If it contains poisonous or deleterious
ingredients which may iniure the health:
provided that when in the preparation
of food products for shipment they are
preserved by any external application in
such a manner that the preventative is
necessarily removed mechanically or
| otherwise, and directions for such remov-
al are printed in the covering, the act
is to be construed as applying only when
the products are ready for consumption.
IT it consists wholly or in part of a
filthy, decomposed or putrid animal or
vegetable substance, or any PARTON of
an animal unfit for food, whether manu-
featured or not, or if it is the product of
diseased animal or one that has died
otherwise than by Strengthening.
The pure food law further provides
that the term ''misbranded" shall apply
to drugs or articles of food, the package
or label of which shall bear any state
ment, design, label or device regarding
the same, or the ingredients contained
therein which shall be false or mslead-
ing
In general way drugs are to be con-
| sldercd as misbranded when they are
put up in imitation, when the package
fails to bear a statement on the label
OF the quantity of any alcohol, morphine
opium. cocaine, heroin, alpha or be-
taeucaine, chloroform, cannabis indica.
choral hydrate or acetanilide, or any
derivative or preparation of such sub
stances contained therein.
Misbranding as applied to foods means
an imitation offered for sale under the
name of another article; a food labeled
so as to deceive or mislead the pur
chaser, or DurpOrt a foreign nroduot