The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-01-14
WATER-sOAKED OYSTERS.
Some Dealers Violate Food and
Drugs Act by Causing Oysters
to Drink" Fresh Water.

Inspectors of the department, in
giving special attention to the heavy
traffic in oysters during the holiday
season, have found that it is the prac-
tice of some dealers to add fresh
water to shucked oysters in such a
way as to greatly increase the size of
the oysters. The oyster when brought
in contact with fresh water for several
hours will drink or absorb a; con-
siderable quantity Of the water and
will increase in size in exact proper
ton to the amount of water which it
drinks" AS oysters are usually sold
by the pint or quart, any increase in
their size due to the addition of water
enables the dealer to fill the pint of
quart measure with a. smaller number
of oysters. In order to increase the |
size, oysters must be soaked in fresh
water or water that is only slightly
salty. They will not drink" enough
of the salt water in which they are
grown to increase materially in bulk; |
nor Will oysters increase in bulk to
any extent from being washed in
fresh water If they are allowed to re-
main for only the few minutes neces-
sary to cleanse them.
If four quarts Of oysters and one
quart Of fresh water are placed in a
1ve-quart container and the mixture
allowed to stand for several hours,
there will be marked change in the
appearance of the contents of the1
scontainer. To the naked eye there
will appear to be five quarts of dry
oysters. for the container will be full
and there will be little or no water in
sight. it being on the inside of the
plump, notwithstanding oysters. The
average purchaser has no means of
detecting the addition of water. Ting
chemist, however, by determining the
amount of water in the oyster and
com pairing it with the amount that an
oyster normally contains, can readily
detect the adulteration.
The practice of increasing the bulk
by the addition of water is not con-
fined to shucked oysters. Some deal
ers float the oysters for several hours
while yet in the shell in fresh water
or water that is much less salty than
the water in which the oysters were
grown. During the process of floating.
the oysters drink in the fresh water
and increase in weight and bulk in
exact proportion to the amount of
water they drink or absorb, and thus
q medium sized oyster may be in
creased to the size of a select
The addition of water to oysters
lowers their food value. and such
oysters are adulterated under Section
z OF the Food and Drugs Act, which
provides that food is adu1terated If
"a SUBSTANCE mas Deen m14eQ ana
packed with it so as to reduce or
lower or injuriousIy affect it's quality
or strength and also if "a substance
has been substituted in whole or in
part for the article The shipment
of such oysters in Interstate COM
merce or their sale in the District of
Columbia or the Territories Of the
United States constitutes, in the de-
partment's opinion, violation of the
Food and Drugs Act.
It is believed that increasing profits
by selling water at the price of oysters
is not countenanced by the better ele-
ment of oyster dealers, who desire toy
have the practice stopped both be-
cause it is fraudulent and because it
places the honest dealer at disad-
vantage in selling his product at4the
price of the adulterated one. The
oyster Growers and Dealers Assoc
citation of North America is co-ope-
rating with the department in stop
ping Interstate traffic In oysters adu1-
terated in this manner. State Off
Gals are also cooperating in order to
stop the fraudulent practice within
their States.
Considerable evidence is being coll
lected by the inspectors of the de-
partment in reference to this traffic, !
and as soon as the evidence is com
p1ete prosecutions against those deal
eras who are violating the Food and
Drugs Act will be recommended to
the Department of Justice.