The Sauk Centre herald., 1908-08-06
Commissioner Slater Gets After
Some AduIterdtiOnS
AN OFFICIAL BULLETIN
Bulletin No. 28 Deals Exhaustiyely
With the Subject of Black
berry Brandy


This is not strictly true, although the
department inspectors continue to find
considerable quantities of so-called
blackberry brandy which is very infe-
rior in quality.
1t is quite generally known that
there are large quantities of the above
named products upon the market
which are made from waste material,
such as grape pomace which is the
refuse after the juice has been
pressed from the grape, and the waste
products of canning factories. Too
much cannot be offered in condem-
nation of the product which has for
its base such material when it is
sold to an unsuspecting public as
pure blackberry brandy.
Some of the so-called blackberry
brandies aud blackberry cordials are
being sold in this state bearing upon
their labels the guarantee of the Ma
tional Food & Drugs Act of June 80,
1906, and in some instances the added
statement that the product has been
analyzed by the Minnesota Dairy &
Food Department and declared legal
The retail dealers are warned not to
buy or sell products bearing state
ment that they have been analyzed by
this department. There is no provls-
ion in the state law authorizing such
use of analysis made by the state
chemist, and where such statement
is used prosecution will be Instituted
against tie dealer offering the pro-
duct for sale. The courts will be ask
ed to determine the legality of the
misbrandirg law, which prohibits any
statement or a label which is mis-
leading.
FREQUENT notices to dealers and
the public have been issued from this
office as to the worthless character
of these products, and many prosecu-
tions of offenders have been made,
but, notwithstanding this, it is evil
dent that more stringent regulations
must be made for the protection OF
the consumer.
It is therefore required that a pro-
duct labeled "Blackberry Brandy
shall be a distilled product of the
fruit of the blackberry bush, and the
label must bear the name and ad-
dress of the manufacturer.
blackberry cordial shall be the
Juice of the blackberry and may be
;sweetened with cane or beet sugar
and fortified with neutral spirits. the
label shall also bear the name and
Imitation, Compound Blackberry
Cordial" or Artificial Compound
Blackberry" may be manufactured
from other fruit juices, and may con-
tain cane sugar, beet sugar or glu-
.cose, and be fortified with neutral
spirits. If added coloring matter Is
used this fact must be stated upon
tbe label. If made up from refuse
materials, such as grape pomace' OF
from fragments or trimmings OF 9TH
er fruits. statement of such facts
shall also appear upon the label as
we'll as the name and address OF
the manufacturer.
Blackberry Wine shall be compos-
ed of the fermented juice OF the black
berry, and may contain cane or Deet
sugar, provided that a statement TO
that effect appears on the label, to-
eether with the name and address OF
the manufacturer.
The use of preservatives, coal tar
.colors and saccharin is prohibited by
law.
All descriptive matter on labels
must be printed in type not less than
1s point, bold faced, Gothic capltais
for bottles and similar containers
and in letters at least one-half lnch
in length on barrels, kegs and SINH
lar containers. When the product Is
removed from the original package:
the container in which it is sold shall
also bear a similar label.
In view of the fact that black
berry brandy is often used for medic
inal purposes and that it is very
necessary that it's purity be above
suspicion, this department desires
that the fullest publicity possible be
given these rulings. The consuming
public can assist greatly in the en-
forcement of the law if they will give
particular attention to the labels of
the product when it is offered to
them.
EDWARD X. SLATER,
Commissioner.