New Britain herald., 1919-05-15
FEDERAL LAW CUTS
 DOWN FOOD FRAUDS
Less Deception Than in Any Other
 Glass Of Merchandise

Washington, D. C., Nav bike ports on more than $500 food and l drug cases, including both criminal l prosecutions and seizures terminated in the federal courts, have been pub lished in the form of notices of iudg- ment since the enactment of tho fed l eral food and drug acts. according to a recent statement of the officials oC l the bureau of chemistry. United ! States department of agriculturo in 1 charge of the enforcement of that 1 law This number represents only 1 instances of fragrant misbranding or 1 adultcration in which, in the opinion of the officials it was necessary 10 ! prosecute the party responsible or seize the goods in order to check the practice. Thousands of other forms of minor misbranding, say the off calS, have been corrected by serving notices on the parties responsible Without recourse to formal legal aC- ton. Tho food Industries in many in stances voluntarily have changed trade practices of long standing
 The violations of the act on which the court actions were based cover nearly every food product from ali mentarN paste to zWieback, includ- ing soft sardines from Maine, as we'll as spoiled salmon from Washin gton: frozen oranges from California; as we'll as sWcated grapefruit from Porto Rico. Prosecutions on patent medi- cines range from so-called "sure cures for tuberculosis and influenza, to candy cathartics and castor oil. In the beverage line, cider as well as champa gne, grape juice as well as gin water as well as wine. have been called to the bar-of the federal courts-to show cause why they should not be poured into the sewer and thus diverted from the alimentary canal.
 Finding Foods Ndultcratcd.
 Contamination is one form of adul- teratiOn which covers a large number of violations, and is due principally to carelessnesS or lack of knowedge of proper methods for preparing. hand ling, shipping, and storing, perishable foods, as is the case with milk having a high bacterial count; spoiled fish, rotten eggs. swelled canned goods, de- composed tomato pulp, and putrid meat.
 The food specialists have done ex-
 tensiye experimental work in deVel-
 oping methods for preparing and
 handling perishabie foods, and in aid ing manufacturers, shippers, and deal
 CTS to apply those methods in g, prac- tical way. The marked improvement in the methods Of handling pcTisha bIe
 foods during recent years has been due, in the opinion of the food off cials as much to the experiment. and educational work as to the reg
 ulatory action under tho food and
 drugs act.
 Substituting a, cheaper article of
 food in whole or in part for a more
 expensive one is iI faVOrite form of adultcration which in some instances relieves the pockethoOk without in jury to health, and leaves the pur- chaser none the wiser. In many in stances of this form of adulteratiOn 1 however, the substituted ingredient has less food value or nutritivC ma terial than the genuine article. Such forms Of substitution include the ad-
 dition of ground pepper shells to pep per: chicory to coffee; dilute acetlC acid to cider vinegar; distilled vine gar to cider or sugar vinegar: glue to celatine: and artificial extract to va
 nilla flavor. The milk man is not the 1 only visitor to the pump or hNdrant. Added water or excessive moisture i has been found in oysters, fruit juices canned goods, vinegar, and 1 grains, and even in dried apples as l we'll as in other food products.
 The cases in which ii was charged
 that ingredients harmful to health
 had been deliberately added 10 foods | ;,o, Tho federal food | and drugs act specifically prohibits 1 the addition of such ingredients to 1 food products. The use of harmful { conservatives is unnecessary and few i manufacturers care 10 risk prOsecu- i ton or in jury to the reputation ot l their product by adding substances ! held to be harmful to health, Harm 1 full ingrpdipnts in food are usually ac- i uuircd by the development of harm ful bacteria from contamination, or
 harmful ingredients accidentally ac- ] uuircd during the process of manU- ] factUrc, as, for instance. zinc, copper i and arsenic from utensils or materi- l aIs used in the manufacture of gela . tine.
 l Food Falsely Labeled.
 The forms of miSbrandinG range i from a deliberate false statement as : to the nature of the product, as, fol l instance, labelling a low grade, CheaI coffee with tho name of a higher anC more expensive grade. such as Mocha i or Java, to subtle designs and devices i as the placing on can of COttOnSeeC l oil labeled merely Salad Oil' the
 picture of an olive tree and a map o ] Italy. in order to convey the impres
 sion that the product is olive oil iron 1 Italy.
 1 Among other forms of misDrandi 1 of foods may be mentioned the label
 ing of distilled vinegar as apple Ci
 der vinegar: the labelling of macaron
 as being of foreign manufacture Wher ! ii was made in the United States: the