The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1916-08-05
BAD EGGS
Government Ofiiciaus Now Busy In.
specting Shipments Of Eggs In
Interstate Commerce.

Owing to the present hot weather,
and the naturally rapid deterioration
of ego. the Government Food Inspec-
tors in all the larger cities are having
a busy time at present inspecting all
eggs shipped to market, and are find
ing quite few violations of the re-
Gently enacted law prohibiting the
shipment of bad eggs from one state
to another.
The United States Department of
Agriculture has established Bureau
of Insection at Cincinnati, and are
now examining all shipments Of eggs
and butter going into that city from
points outside the State of Ohio, and
are cooperating with officials repre-
senting the State, i'm an effort to
prevent not only the sale, but the ship
ment into the State, of eggs which are
unfit for food.
Quite a number of shippers have
been warned by the Federal Inspec-
tors that their shipments of eggs
Ihave been containing more than the
legal allowance of five per cent bad
eggs and that future violations would
subject the offenders to prosecution
under the Federal Food and Drug Act,
in addition to the confiscation of the
shipments found to be adulterated.
The United States Department of
agriculture, through the Bureau of
chemistry has recently issued bull
letin containing the following state
ments
"Under the Federal Food and Drugs
Act, eggs, i'm common with other ar
Iticles of food, are adulterated II they
consist wholly or in part of a filthy,
decomposed or putrid substance. Sec
ton 2 of the act prohibits the ship
ment in interstate commerce of foods
which are adulterated, and 1t is plain
that this prohibition applies to the
shipment in interstate commerce Of
current receipts or of rejects from
Icandling rooms or of any other grade
of eggs in the shell unless the filthy.
Idecomposed, or putrid eggs have been
removed.
I'm the opinion of the department,
leggs which contain yolks stuck to the
shell, moldy eggs. black spots, mixed
rots, added eggs, black rots, and any
other eggs which consist wholly or in
part of a filthy, decOmposed, or putrid
substance, are adulterated
1.-THE investigations of the depart
ment have shown that 1t is CONNER
cially practicable, by the method of
candling. to eliminate from any given
shiment most of the eggs of the kinds
which the department regards as adul-
terated. II is not the ractice of the
department, however, to base proceed
ings under the Food and Drugs Act on
shipments of eggs unless there are
present larger percentage of bad eggs
than are ordinarily present in recog-
nized commercial grades of candled
eggs. The department is informed
that cases of eggs are not allowed 90
receive even the lowest candled egg
grades, if the cases contain more than
~ dozen, or per cent, of bad eggs
Country shippers who are not certain
of the freshness of their eggs should
candle them before shipping them in
interstate commerce.
"There are two forms of proceedings /
provided by the Act against foocs, az
well as drugs, are either adulter-
ated or misbranded. One is a criminal .
prosecution under Section 2, which
makes 1t a misdemeanor for any err
son to ship or deliver for shipment
from one state to another, or to sell
or offer for sale in the District of CO.
lumbia, adulterated or misbranded ar
ticles of food or drugs. The penalty
provided for a violation of this sec
ton is fine not exceeding 5000 for
the first offense and for each subse
quent offense a fine not exceeding
$500 or Imprisonment not exceeding
one year, or both, in the discretion
of the court.