The Washington herald., 1908-05-17
Government MIsbrandlna.

Every householder is now familiar with
the words Guaranteed under the food
and drugs act on medicine bottles and
on cans and jars containing the scores
OF different food products which may be
bought from any grocer. Unfortunately
these words do not mean all that they
are commonly supposed to signify. Dur
ing the past week DR.. Frederick L. Dun
lap. one Of the government chemists hav-
ing TO do with the enforcement of the
pure food law. has been telling Boston
grocers what the supposed government
guarantee really means. He said:
DO not be mised into thinking that the legend
Guaranteed under the food and drugs act, serial
number - means that the products bearing s1ch
legend are necessarily psue. unsdulterateds and
properly branded. All that this means Is that
general guaranty has been filed with the Depart
meBt Of Agriculture. which acts merely in the
capacity Of custodian. and has. to facilitate business
issued serial number to identify the general
guaranty. It means. further, that if the goods 70
which the legend and serial number are attached
are found 10 violate the Law in any way. and pro
yided the serial number is the property Of the per
son from whom the goods are purchased the one
who has established the general guaranty viii as
sumo al responsibilities for the penslt which
would in due course fan 70 the persen IN whose
hands the adulte1ted and misbranded pru3ucts are
found "
Naturally enough. as DR.. Dunlap re-
marked. the guarantee has been used to
mislead people into the belief that the
government guarantees the product to be
pure. Probably ninety-nine persons out of
d hundred do so believe. Certainly the
form Of words used is such as TO convey
the impression that the government has
examined a sample of the product and
guarantees il to be wholesome and free
from any deleterious matter, or in the
case Of drugs and medicines. to be up
to a recognized standard of purity. It
viii be news 10 most people that the
government guarantee on food products
is simply a manufacturers assumption Of
responsibility for violation of the pure.
food law, and that # carries with il no
assurance that the products are fit for
human use. Yet it merely means that If
the product is found TO be adulterated or
impure the government will be able to
identify and lay hands on some response
bic person or corporation
1T is to be wished" said DR.. Dunlap
TO the Boston grocers, that the general
consuming public knew better the exact
significance Of the serial number and
legend" and he hoped the truth would
become generally known through erocers
and statesmen. But has the government
no responsibility in this regard? Manu-
facturers and retailers have no motive
for spreading the information that goods
supposed TO be guaranteed pure and
wholesome by the government are not in
fact so guaranteed. The deception, which
has its origin in the ambiguous wording
Of the legend. is more than likely to be
encouraged, or at least permitted to OBJ
tain among the consuming public. This
deception the government could easily
stop by requiring that the legend read
simply Manufacturers guaranty" or
that the labels state specifically what
the manufacturers do guarantee. Surely
the government should not require the
labelling Of food products with a state
ment misleading on its face. or at any