Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1917-01-04
LABEL LEGEND BARRED
Uncle Sam Prohibits Misleading
Guaranty on Packages.
Under New Plan Familiar Statement
Regarding Food and Drugs Acs
Cannot BE Used on Containers


The legend, so familiar In the past
on food and drug packages, ''Guaran-
teea by manufacturer under the food
and drugs act, June 80, 1905, serial
number .65,4 . lis disappearing from
labels. A method for guaranteeing
foods and drugs which viii be less
misleading to the public has been pro.
sided by Uncle Sans officials In
charge of the enforcement OF the food
and drugs act Under the new plan
manufacturers may guarantee their
products on the invoice or bill of sale.
or by certain other methods, but ac-
cording to food inspection decision
which became effective ON November /,
1915. they may not make any statement
regarding the guaranty or serial num-
ber on the label of packages of foods
or drugs which enter Interstate or
foreign commerce.
Originally 1t was provided in the
rules and regulations that the manu-
facturer or wholesaler who desired to
guarantee that his products complied
with the food and drugs act might
file general guaranty with the depart
ment of agriculture to the effect that
the foods or drugs he shipped into In
terstate commerce We're not adulter-
ated or misbranded within the mean
ing of that act. Upon the receipt of
a properly executed guaranty the de-
partment assigned serial number to
the manufacturer or wholesaler who
filed the guaranty. The manufacturer
or wholesaler was authorized to
use this number on his labels to
Indicate that the guaranty which he
had filed with the department coy
cred 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 misleading to the public. Il
was incorrectly assumed by consumers
generally and some retail dealers thai
the guaranty legend on the label meant
that sample OF the product had beer
examined by the United States depart
ment of agriculture, and that in etfec
the United States department OF agri
culture actually guaranteed the prod
Uct.
The food and drugs act provides tha
no dealer shall be prosecuted undel
the provisions of that act when he cal
establish a guaranty signed by tn
wholesaler, jobber, manufactures, o
other party residing in the Unite'
states, from whom he purchased arti
cles of food and drugs. The object o
this provision is to make the manu-
facturer or wholesaler or person VIII
knows the composition of the foo
and drug products responsible for thei
compliance with the provisions Q
the law. In many cases dealer doe
not know the composition of the proc
ucts he sells, and cannot afford the ez
nense of having an analysis made /
order to determine it for himself.
provision, therefore, was inserted |
the law to the effect that, If the dea
er secured guaranty from the mant
facturer or wholesaler or other perso
from whom he purchases, the part
making the guaranty would be r
suonsible under the law, and the dea
er would be relieved Of responsibiiit,
The guaranty was never intended
he. and never has been, in any sense
guaranty by the department OF agr
culture.