The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-01-16
Some Rather Comic Effects
Result From Pure Food Law

The Pure Food law went into eff
feet this month, and everywhere there
is hurry and worry in efforts to COM
ply with it. There is hurry in Wash
ington, where Secretary Wilson of the
Department of Agriculture is doing
his best to pass upon the truthfulness
of the new labels which the law re-
quires; there is hurry in the United
States laboratory on the top floor of
the Public Stores building in this city,
where r. E. Doolittle, chief of the
bureau lis increasing his workina
force, and there is hurry in printing
offices all over the country, where
labels guaranteed to tell the truth, the
whole truth and nothing but the truth
about the things that people eat, are
being turned from the presses by the
tens OF thousands, and still not fast
enough to supply the demands for
them. For, though makers and dealers
are allowed until October 1 in which
to change the principal labels, all
stickers and supplementary labels
must be put on at once.
These labels form an interesting
study and are calculated to bring
blank dismay to the face of not few
who read them when neatly pasted on
the bottles, cans and boxes they are
intended for on drug store or grocery
shelves. Perhaps the users of canned
goods are the ones who will learn
the most from a perusal of these truth
full labels; for if the pine apple, rasp-
berry or strawberry jam or jelly is
not the real thing, but is made or an.
pie body" with littleartificial color
ing or flavoring added, the label at
tached must tell the truth about the
contents. BY some producers such
goods will be labelled as compounds,
and by others the name of the flavor
printed in bold type and the various
ingredients in small type below.
The labels will also unmask that
fiction so long maintained under which
so much cottonseed oil has been sold
for pure olive oil made abroad. The
the names of localities on food pro-
ducts, and unless New Jersey tomatoes
are really from New Jersey, and YER
mont syrup really from Vermont. and
Java or Mocha coffee really from Java
or Mocha, 1t will IT, violation of the
Law 10 label than as sn"h. Imitation
marie syrup, honey. spices a:ia such
products must be so labelled.
The law also requires that the real
name of the manufacturer shall alone
appear upon the label. Tomatoes that
have for years been sold perhaps as
Smiths tomatoes" though Smith him
self is beneath the sod, must now be
labelled Smiths brand" and those
importers who have been selling in this
country foodstuffs originally prepar-
ed by some foreign exporter, though
now controlled by American capital,
must abandon the foreign name.
Whether the government will finally
prohibit the use Of sodium benzoate
as preservative is problem which
is just now agitating the grocery trade.
Sodium benzoate has long been used
to preserve jams, catsups, cider and
other substances offered for sale. It
is said that there is hardly bottle of
catsup on the market today which does
not contain benzoate of soda in some
degree. 1t is said that If it were not
for the use of this such goods would
soon sour and become worthless. II
its use is prohibited such food products
as it is now used in, say the makers,
must be treated to a long boiling proc
ess, which will greatly increase their
price.
The law is especially strict concern
ing the preparation and sale Of con-
fectionery. The use of mineral sub
stances of all kinds, except such as
may have received the 20. X" of the
Secretary of Agriculture, is specifical-
ly forbidden in confectionery, whether
the substances are poisonous or not,
and only harmless colors or favors
may be used. The labels upon the
candy boxes must be as truthful as
those on food packages and tins.
In connection with the drug trade