The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1906-11-15
MANY pERpLExINe PROBLEMS,
Deputies of the State Food Com
mission Will be Kept Extremely
Busy the Next Few Months.

Wright now has his deputies in the field
instructing the merchants and manu-
facturers of Iowa in the requirements of
the Iowa pure food law. He plans to
have the deputies visit nearly all the
larger towns and cities Of the state dur
ing the next few weeks to secure a gen
eral idea of the field and the efforts that
are being made to comply with the new
law.
AS yet the Iowa pure food law is al
most imperative, owing to it's provision
which exempts from enforcement all
goods bought or manufactured prior to
July l, 1907, to dispose of goods labeled
or manufactured contrary to the new
Iowa law, which gives opportunity for
general evasion of the law till then.
The deputies are reporting to state
commissioner Wright, however, that
they find general effort is being made
by the manufacturers and dealers of
Iowa to comply with the new law. The
enactment of a national pure food law,
which goes into effect January l, has
greatly aided in the enforcement and
operation of the Iowa law. With the
requirement that all interstate food
shipments shall comply to the national
pure food standards by January 1, in
stead OF waiting until the limit of July
l, 1907, afforded under the Iowa law.
ADOPT NATIONAL STANDARDS.
State Commissioner Wright will also
adopt the food standards as prescribed
by the national commission, thus avoid
ing difficult problem that; has been
confronting him, that of establishing
food standards for Iowa. The adoption
of the national standards for this state
will likewise simplify the pure food
problems by uniformity and greatly aid
the manufacturers of Iowa who do an
interstate business.
The Iowa commissioner is also dis
posed to let the national commission
solve the perplexing problem as to what
constitutes "pure whisky which has
now involved the liquor men of the
country in bitter and costly quarrel.
Under the Iowa law drinks" are SUBJ
ject to the rulings of the food commits
sioner. He will, however, pass the prob
lem up to the national commission and
let it bear the brunt of the battle, thus
probably saving much annoyance and
money to the state of Iowa.
Another great aid to be obtained from
the national pure food law by the Iowa
commissioner is its requirement that all
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food are to be labelled as such. Thus
all such adulterated food coming into
the state by interstate commerce must
be labelled as either "blend, imitation
or compound" This will do away with
the necessity of the Iowa commissioner
making an analysis Of such foods to test
their purity and will at the same time
show that foods labelled "blend, imita-
tion or compound" under the national
law, must also have printed on the
package their ingredients under the
Iowa law. The Iowa law is thus seen
to work nicely in harmony with the
national law.
Nevertheless, the Office of the state
food and dairy commissioner is busy
place these days. Commissioner
Wright and the state chemist being
hard at work installing the new labor
atory which will be fully equipped 10
test the purity of all food samples COL
lected by the deputy commissioners.
AS the national pure food law applies
only to Interstate commerce, the Iowa
commission will still have state wide
field in which to operate.
COFFEE WITH CHICKORY WASH.
State Commissioner Wright is already
having many puzzling food problems
presented to him by manufacturers
DESTROYS of making the least possible
complication with the law for pure
food. The latest proposition came from
a st. Louis coffee rooster, who wanted
the Iowa commissioner to rule on a
coffee prepared with chickory wash
to give it rice brown color. Such
coffee, the manufacturer declared
! could be marketed for about II cents
a pound. The commissioner believes
however, that the chickory wash is
used to conceal inferiority and is there.
fore contrary to the Iowa law.
Another manufacturer of breakfast
food which has china prize in its
package wanted to know if the weight
of the china cup or saucer could be in.
cluded with the total net weight of the
food as printed on the label. Commits
sioner Wright ruled that as china cur
J was not recognized food product in
the United States it could not be in
ciuded in the net weight of the food
thus the manufacturer will have to put
a full pound of breakfast food in his
package if he advertises it's net weight
as sixteen ounces.