Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, MARCH 23, 1908. THE PURE FOOD ACT.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 23 March 1908, Page 2

Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, MARCH 23, 1908. THE PURE FOOD ACT.

REGULATIONS AGAINST ADULTERATION. LAST month nn Order-in-Council was gazetted in connection with Sale of Food and Drugs Act of last year, making S-egulations prescribing the standard of strength, weight, quality, and quantity of food and drugs, and 'prohibiting the .addition pt "any specified thing or of more than the ;specified quantity or proportion thereof to any food or drug." As it in esesntial that purveyors should bo familiar with the provisions of tho law tho deails of the more important regulations hero referred to are given below. • • • • Bread is defined as a porous food obtained by moistening and baking flour, with provision for the mechanical separation of the dough by air or vbnnic acid gas. It is enacted that, bread shall not contain more than 2 per cent, of ash insoluble in acid, and in the crumb exclusive of crust not more than 4 per cent, of water. The addition of alum or other foreign substance to dough or bread is prohibited. The addition of salicylic aeid, boric acd, bonzoic acid, or other preservative snbstanco oxcept sugar to preserved fruit is not allowed. Preserved fruit is defined as any sound fruit or fruit sub tanee preserved in a dry state or in syrup, fruit- juice, or water. In jams and marmalade there must be no vegetable substance other than sound whole fruit or fruits of tho varieties designated, nor any preservatives other than sugar, nor any gelatine or starch jelly, nor any foreign flavouring substance, nor any glucose other than standard glucose. Mixed or compounded jam or marmalade^ eontaining two or more arieties of fruit, is ptrailtted; but it must contain not less than 50 per cent, of the variety first named on the label attached to the jar or tin. The addition of colouring matter to mixed or compounded jam or marmalade or to jelly is prohibited. • • • . . Tho regulations relating to eocoa and chocolate and their preparations, tea, and coffee are stringent, and the design is to ensure for the publie sound and healthful articles. Coffee must not contain less than 10 per cent, of fat, not more than one per cent, of saccharine matter, not aaoxa than 6 per eent. of ash, of which the proportion of soluble ash shall not be less than 75 per eent, eontaining no chicory. Coffee and ehieory, however, and chicory and coffee are allowed if so proclaimed in labels. In the former compound, as in the latter, there must bo not less than 50 per cent, of coffee. The addition of foreign substances, such as starch, is prohibited. In cocoa mass or slab there must be not less than 45 per cent, of cocoa fat, not more than 12 per cent, of starch natural of cocoa, not more than 3% per cent, of crude fibre, not more than 4% per cent, of total ash, and not more than 3 per cent, of ash insoluble in water. The proportion of ferric oxide in the total ash must not oxceed 0.2 per cent. Confectioners' sweet cocoamass, chocolate, or chocolate coating is cocoa-mass mixed with sugar with or without the addition or the subtraction of cocoa-fat and without the addition of spices or other flavouring substances. In the sugar or fat-free residue on test there must be no higher proportion of starch or fibre

or ash than is found iu the fat-free residue of standard cocoa-mass. A similar .standard applies virtually to all combinations of sugar and i'.?coa or chocolate; but tho proportion of sugar must be not more than ;si> per cent. Prepared, or horn .'.ipi.tlilc cocoa or cocoa declared as swoe"*ned must not have more than (50 per cent, of added farinaceous matter nno sugar, and there must be at least -W per cent, of cocoa-mass under any conditions. The addition of colouring" matter is prohibited Soluble cocoa or essenoe may tow ..'r. not uiore than 3 per cent, of adlo-l .alkali or alkaline salt, estimited us potassium carbonate; but the addition of cocoa-husk, weighing substances, foreign fat, paraffin, or other iniurious articles is prohibited. J ...» * The regulations regarding !.':i ■<- quire that the standard shall yie'd I not more than 7 per cent, nor less than 4 per eenj. of ash, of wmli-ii ai least one half shall be snkibi-' hi water, and at least 30 per con!. of i extract. Commercial tea shall not contain spurious, exhausted, decayed, or mouldv leaves or stalks, o.' any Ptussian 'blue, lead, or oth ■.- matter for facing or for any ot.lnr p.ivpc-se. Toa' must be the product of the countrv specified on the lao'l. IWllk shall not contain less than 12 rer cent, of total solids, not less than 8% per cjnt. of solids not fat, nor. less than 3VI per cent, fatiy silids uuilkfats). net more than 1 per cent, of ash. The addition of water to milk is herebv prohibited. Brandy, whisky, and rum shall con tain not loss than 15 per cent. of proof spirit. Gin shill contain iot less than 65 per cent, of proof spirit. Baking-powder is defined as a salt or mixture of salts (with or without a farinaceous diluent substance) which ovolves carbon-dioxide on beirrg moistened or heated, and which may be used in the preparation of articles of food as a chemical-leavening substance. The standard defines that baking-powder shall contain uot more than 1 per cent, of sulphates, calculated as potassium-sulphate, and shall contain no alum, aud shall yield not less than 10 per cent, by weight of carbon-dioxide. Black pepper shall contain not more than 7 per cent, of total ash, and not less than 7 per cent, of extractive matter soluble in hot etuylie aleohol. White pepper shall contain not more than 3Vt> per cent, of total ash. Cayenne pepper or cayenne shall contain not less than lumper cent, of ether extractives, and lot more than G per cent, of tptal ash. The addition of starch, or colouring-mutter. or any other foreign substance to black pepper, or white pepper, or cayenne pepper, is hereby .prohibited. Mustard shall contain uot more than 2VL- per cent, jf starch, and not more than 8 per cent, of total ash. Tho addition of (jii-servalive substances other than the common condimental subßtances j saucos aud pickles is prohibited.