The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1938-12-15
Consumer Notes
Issued Weekly by Consumers
Counsel Division, A. A. A.
Washington, d. C..
What Price Cosmetic,

| VN0t i ElCc SODIuctlC0
Figuring the cost Of the ingredients
that go into box Of face powder or
a jar of massage cream can hardly
be done by consumers who aren't told
what the cosmetic is made Of, but
when Maine officials did this very
thing they discovered a. few eye-open-
ing facts.
"Maine Senators, urged by con-
sumers, ordered the State Department
of Health and Welfare to analyze the
cosmetics in the State to see what they
contained and how much their in
gradients cost at retail prices" Here's
what they found:
"a dusting powder, which sold for
rs cents retail, contained ingredients
whose cost at retail, including the cost
Of the container, was approximately
16 cents.
"A lipstick, which sold at SIPS,
would have cost consumers slightly
more than cents if they had brought
the container and the ingredients sep
arately at retail.
"a cream rouge which retailed to
consumers for 55 cents was made of
ingredients and packed in container
which could have been bought at re-,
tail for slightly less than cents.
can astringent which sold for $1.75
had ingredients whose retail prices
totaled little less than cents.
"A face powder which sold for $500
had ingredients and container whose
| "a OF
cents.
"a massage cream, also sold for
$500, contained boric acid, sulphur,
wool fat, and few other oils and
fats in very small quantities. With
the jar consumer could have repro
duced the concoction, not counting
the labor involved, for ID cents.
"Of course, ingredients and contain
er are not the whole cost Of cosmetic.
There are other costs; the cost Of mix
ing, shipping, advertising, and distri-
button.
"Until cosmetic labels tell what
they contain, consumers will have lit
tie chance of comparing values for
their beauty dollars" There is moth
ing in the new Food, Drug, and Cos
metic Law which requires listing on
the label of ingredients that go into
cosmetics.
How Much Does 1t Hold?
Shy clear of canned fruits and
vegetables that you find marked
"slack flip or contains excess added
liquid" unless you can buy them at
substantial savings. The labels are
Government warnings that the cam
ned product was not packed according
to Federal standards.
eff the can is not properly filed"
says the GUIDE"-if it is long on
head space, or short on drained weight
it must be marked: SLACK FILL
If it contains too much of the pack
ing medium (water or brine CT sugar
solution) it has to be marked: CON
TAINS EXCESS ADDED LIQUID
"Such canned foods are sub-stand-
ard only in fill or packing medium,
not in the quality of the food contain
ed in them.
Consumers cannot look inside a
can before they pay for it. Getting
label information about possible slack
fill or excess packing fluids is a, check
against paying food prices for water
or brine.
"Only canned fruits and vegetables
passing in interstate commerce are
now subject to the law.
"When the new Food, Drug, and
Cosmetic Law goes into effect next
June, Federal protection against slack
fill in packages as we'll as cans that
cross State lines will be possible. A
food, drug, or cosmetic will be regard
ed as misbranded, and hence, barred
by the law from the stream of COM
merce across State lines, if it's con-
tainer is so made, formed, or filled as
to be misleading,
"Labels of all packaged goods and
cans that cross State lines must tell
the net contents. Be sure you know
how much is in the container when
you match prices"
Points on Parsnips
Buy parsnips that weathered a
heavy frost before they came to
market if you want to get them at
their best.
"Small to medium are the preferred
parsnip sizes. But no matter which
size you buy, be sure the parsnips
are firm, smooth, and well-shaped.
Odd shapes mean waste and unwise
spending.
"Waste also comes with softness of
the parsnip. This may mean pithy or
fbrous roots, or may even be warm
ing sign of decay.
"You can spot decay, too, by gray
mold and watery soft rot that appears
on the vegetable"
pool, o. Meets 1st and 3rd Friday in
Room 4, N. B. o. P. building.