The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1916-01-20
wATER.soAKED OYSTERS
some Dealers Violate Fo0d and Drug
Act by Causing Oysters 10 Drink
Fresh Water.

some Dealers Violate Fo0d and Drug
Act by Causing Oysters 10 Drink
Fresh Water.
Inspectors of the department, In CIV
ing special attention tothe heavy traf-
&c In oysters during the holiday sea
son, have found that il is the practice
Of some dealers to add fresh water TO
shuekcd oysters in such way as to
greatly increase the size Of the oy-
s.ers. The oyster when brough, IN
contact with fresh water for several
hours will drink" or absorb a consid-
cradle quantity Of the water and will
increase in size in exact proportion 70
the amount Of water which it drinks. y
As oysters are usually sold by the
pin. or quart, any increase in their
size due TO the addition Of water en-
ables the dealer to I'll the pint or
quart measure with a smaller number
Of oysters. In order 10 increase the
size, oysters must be soaked in fresh
water or water shat 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 IL they are allowed TO remain
for only The few minutes necessary TO
cleanse them.
II four quarts Of oysters and one
quart Of fresh water are placed in
fve-quart container and the mixture
allowed TO stand for several hours,
there will be a marked change in the
appearance Of the contents of the con-
.ainer. To the naked eye there will
apear to be five quarts of dry oysters.
for the container will be full and there
will be little or no water in sight, II
being on the inside of the plump,
.suecuent-lookin oysters. The aver
age purchaser has no means of de-
tecting The addition of water The
chemist, however, by determining the
amount of water in the oyster and
comparing 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 confin-
ed to shucked oysters. Some dealers
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 float
ing, 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 a medium-sized oyster may be
increased TO the size of Select
The addition Of water to oysters
lowers their food value, and such oy-
sters are adulterated under section
seven of the Food and Drugs Act,
which provides that food is adulterat-
ed if "a substance has been mixed and
packed with il so as to reduce or low
er or injuriously affect its 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 commerce
or their sale in the District of Colum-
bia or the Territories of The United {
States constitutes in the departments {
opinion, a violation of the Food and
Drugs Act.
1t is believed that increasing profits |
by selling water at the price of oysters
is not countenanced by the better Gle
ment of oyster dealers, who icsirc to 3
have the practice stopped both because s
it is fraudulent and because I places z
the honest dealer a. disadvantage IN {
selling his product at the price Of the o
adulterated one The Oyster Growers t
and Dealers Association Of North e
America is cooperating with the de Z
partmen. in stopping interstate traffic 5
in oysters adulterated in this manner.
State officials are also cooperating in \
order to stop the fraudulent practice
within their States.
Considerable evidence is being col
lected by the inspectors Of the depart r
ment in reference TO this traffic, and
as soon as the evidence is complete .
prosecutions against those dealers /
who are violating the Food and Drugs !,
Act will be recommended to the De ),
partmcnt of Justice Weekly News
Letter. a.