SODA-FOUNTAINS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2016, 25 March 1914, Page 8

SODA-FOUNTAINS.

BRIGHT COLOlffiS & REALITY NFW ftWHf ATTfiWS! HIM (IBUULAUUfti. THE PURITY 1 Of SQFT DRINKS Amongst tho trading establishments which will be affected under the operation of the new.pure food regulations are those popularly luiowit as "sodafountains," pjaoes devoted to tko sale of non-alcoholic drinks, infinitely varied as to colour and flavour, ices, and similar commodities. Shops of this character have only comparatively recently mado their appearance in Wellington, but they have already attained a considerable vogue, which indicates that they have come to stay. In . many cases the drinks sold are honestly what they purport to be, but in others artificial essences aro used as the base of a mixture which may bo like the real thing in appearance, and even in taste, but is of chemical origin. The drastic provisions of tho now regulations will effectively clear up whatever mystery attaches to the soda-fountain, Henceforth what is artificial will have to be made known in that character, and incidentally the trader who raids pure beverages and avoids artificial products will gain from being able to demonstrate the fact to his customers, A Trader's Qftintdns, The proprietor of one of the biggest soda-fountain stops in tho city, when he was interviewed yesterday, indicated that he took no general exception to tho new regulations, believing that his own wares would easily pass auste-r, and that the enforcement- of the regulations would put all such establishments upon an equal footing, and compel their owners to observe uniformly high standards il }. t . h Particular shop aerated water, winch is used in compounding various drinks,, is prepared by charging filtered water with gas drawn from cylinders. Pure fruit essences, free from admixture, are used for flavouring, fttitl artihcial essences are banned. Ice-cream is prepared by tie aid β-f up-to-date toachinery, m a dairy which, like the .cstßbluhmcnt_ and ifa throughout, is kept spotlessly clean, iliose are the conditions which the pure food regulations will tend to maSto Ser.-eral, 'and the 01% objection taken oy tlie shopman was -in regard to xfe* tails._ For instance, te stated that certain drinks, s-uen as "cream Soda " were necessarily of hn artificial character, but he contended that they were none tho less wholesome on that ■ acforbade the use of gelatine in the .manufacture of ice- cream. This he asserted, was unreasonable, since tIW ingredient was .harmless, and improved v e tlle coaipamid. The n n e Z,-i OU i +1 alos pMe Uod r «£>ikitkm 5 pormitted tho presence of 1 per cent ot gelatine in ice.create, and the mv foreemeiit of: the New Zealand Kmilation would mean that an inferior article would be toned out. Another point mentioned was that tao.reguktions prohibit tho additiW of colowrmg matter to certain fruit compounds, notably raspberry syrup. To this, tlw shopman took exception on tho ground that puro raspberry product, particuarly when prepared'from- Hght-coJonrea berries, was often of a dubious hue, 'aa'-d the public, having been accustomed to receive it "corrected ,, , to a pleasing 1 .tint, would bo.;apt ts ask what they wore getting,if tl)e sfuffi.was presented ' to them in its rift-two ealour. On the' i whole, homer, this trader cons-kfel that tho regulations, though drasfo'c in some details and rather exacting in the natter oh labeling mi ' doscriptiou, ■ were justified. "If I canVlive upto them," ho declared, "I m prepared to get out.' . .

Frozen Cornflour , ;,

Pursuing inquiries am-on.pt tho * cials concerned in the adro&istration of tho new regulations, the reporter obtaired some additional information. Ho was, informed that tho prohibition, ■or the .use of gcJotiae and other thickening -ingredients, in ice create was intended simply . to e&sUro thai tJio public should get what they asked tor. Cornflour is sometimes used im ice cream, and frozen eerMour is believed to be a very harmless euktoucc,-but it is considered wron? that pooplo should bo supplied with frozen cotntour when they aro intent oa buying frozen cream. It is true that the addition of one per cent, or gelatuie to ice croatii is at present permitted in New goaih Wales, but the question of prohibiting its use in this way is at. present under consideration in the Commonwealth, One interesting detail relates to tbo u. S o of the *?™ s°da water." The regulations distinguish between "soda water 5, containing a percentage of oifiarbonato of soda, and aorated watec Both preparations'are wholesome, but the "soda water of the soda,fountains is $teic% not soda water, but aerated water. Apparently tho Health Department will have to decide, whether it- should sanction the continued iiso of the term "soda fountain," irfjen in- pern* of fact, no soda flows from the fountaini but only aerated water.

A Corrujutfifl; Taste. In regard to tho use of colouring matter, the reporter was informed that apparently the public- iiave been, so long hoodwinked by the clear end beautiful tints of artificial products that they iioff expect the genuine article to have'these impossible/colours, thus tending to force the.manufacturer of tile genuine article to I'fako" it, so that it will bar comivith the delu&ivo brilli.ai»9 of tho artificial prodnot. Howererj tho public will probably soon Qorjje to realise that in such tkijigs as fruit juices sound quality is ono aud decorative colouring, quite anotte. As another example of the corruption of tho public taste, it was nieiitioiwd that people have grown so accustomed to chicory faked coffee that soflio dealers osperi- : puce,the utmost difficulty in selling tiro' genuine article. Armed with the rcgtilatisas, tho Department .meditates a determined attack on artificial drinks, some:of them inferior preparations, which hitherto have masqueraded, under-showy labels, but , will no,longer be allowed to do so. Honceforth such '-.things will b-Svo to be labelled with a trao deseriptiou. By some vendors it has boon supposed that artificial drinks drawn off from bulk supply in containers or other reeoptaclcs, need not bo labelled; This is incorrect. The regulations provide that where an article is sold by weight or measure, otherwise than in a psiskage callable of being labelled., tho person selling it may bo requfrtfd by tho Chief Health Officer to keep conspicuously attachedto the container or. other vessel, immediately prior to sale, a stattMjient or "label in bold-faced type, ..-setting forth the nature of its Contents. Apart from tho regulations, tlift Health Dcpartineiipt has- lai'go powecs under-such.provisions as the following (Subsection 2, Section' 12) of the Snto of Food and Drugs Aet, 1908;—"lSveiy person commits an offeiwe who sells aajy food or drug in any package wliidi bears or has attached thereto any false or misleading sfatcmrait, word, 'brand, label, or marks prporfcing te indicato tho nature, quality, strrngtfi, purity, composition, weight, origin, ago, or proportion of tho article contained in tho package, or of anj , , ingredient thereof." ' ' .