New Britain herald., 1916-12-13
TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC


 who ship drugs from one state to another, according to an amended reg ulation of the Federal governme ent may do away with the now familiar legend on all such packages, Guar anteed Under the Food and Drugs Act" A method for guaranteeing foods and drugs which will be less misleading to the public has been provided by the officials of the De- partment of Agriculture. Under the new plan, according to officials in charge of the enforcement of the Food and Drugs Act manufacturers may guaranty their products on the invoice or bill of sale, or by certain other methods, but according to a food inspection decision which became eHectlVe on November 1, 1916, they may not make any statement reeard- ing guaranty or serial number on the labels of packages of foods or drugs which enter interstate or for elgn commerce. However, labels con- taining the guaranty legend and serial number which were printed prior to May 5, 1914, the date on which the first notice to discontinue the guaran- ty legend and serial number was is- sued, may be used until May 1, 1918, in order to prevent the loss that other wise would occur from the destruc- tion of such labels
 Originally it was provided that the manufacturer or wholesaler who de- sired to guaranty that his products compiled with the Food and Drugs Act might file a general guaranty with the Department of Agriculture to the effect that the foods or drugs he shipped into interstate commerce were not adulterated or misbranGed Upon the receipt of a properly executed guaranty the department as- signed a serial number to the manu- facturer or wholesaler who filed the guaranty. This number used on labels then indicated that the guaranty which had been filed with the de- partment covered the products on which the number was used. After this method had been in operation for some time it was found that the guaranty legend on the label was mis- leading to the public. It was incor- l rectly assumed by consumers general l ly and some retail dealers that the l guaranty legend on the label meant 1 that a sample of the product had been | examined by the Department of Ag- 1 riculture and that in effect the De- 1 partment actually guaranteed the pro-
 duct. The Food> and Drugs Act pro- l vides that no dealer shall be prose- | cuted under the provisions of that l act when he can establish a guaranty l signed by the wholesaler, jobber,
 manufacturer or other party residing
 in the United States, from whom he l purchases articles of food and drugs. 1 The new guaranty will be to the effect
 that the foods and drugs to which it
 applies are not adulterated or mis- 1 branded within the meaning of the
 act. The object of this provision is
 to make the manufa cturer or whole
 saler or person who knows the com position of the food and drug products l responsible for their compliance with
 the provisions of the law.
 The new regulation formulated by
 the officials in charge of the enforce ] ment of the Food and Drugs Act will
 go a long way in protecting the pub lie from spurious and injurious goods
 It will also be welcomed by the retail l dealers many of whom are not fullv-
 aware of the compositions enterino in
 to the products they sell. Because tho
 smaller dealers are not always in q | position to have an analysis made to
 determine ingredients in certain drues
 and food, it is right to place the blana