PURE FOOD.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1716, 5 April 1913, Page 6

PURE FOOD.

THE NEW REGULATIONS. CRITICISMS REBUTTED. Publicity was gi'ren in The Dominion on Monday Inst to the opinions expressed by a number of manufacturers regarding the new regulations, under the Sale of Food and Drugs Act, which came into forco on April 1. A reporter who made inquiries at tho Department of Public Health was informed that sOmo of the statements' made by tho manufacturers interviewed wcro "incorrect and misleading. One manufacturer, for instance, staled that tho New South Wales pure food regulations set forth that a tin or bottlo must bear tho word "substitute," where under the New Zealand regulations the word "imitation" has to be used. As a matter of fact, tho New Zealand regulations are very much on the lines of the regulations recently issued in New South Wales and other Australian States. The New South Wales puro food regulations, gazetted on May 7, 11)12, the Queensland regulations, gazetted on May 18, 11)12, and tho AVest Australian regulations, gazetted on November 1, 1912, all provide that imitation vinegar must bo labelled "imitation," in bold dark-coloured type, on a light In the New Zealand regulations, "artificial" is the term most commonly used to denote that an article is nut genuine. Tho evident. intention of tho local Department of Public Health is to avoid unnecessary - distinctions in labelling and standardisation as between New Zealand and tho Commonwealth. This, it is contended, is very desirable for many reasons, one of them being that the adoption of general standards will obviate conijrfications which might otherwise arise, and prove harassing to manufacturers and importers. Imitation Vinegar., Vinegar has. come into considerably prominence in conncction .with the new regulations, a and it has. been asserted that imitation vinegar, consisting of a solution of acetic acid in water, is superior to malted vinegar.. Information obtained from the Public Health Department indicates that this is not the case. Halt vinegar, it appears, is much the same in chemical constitution as acetic acid vinegar, but contains in addition constituents which are regarded chemically as impurities, but which add greatly to tlio value of vinegar as an article of dietary. Most of tho acetic acid fobtained by the destructive distillation' of wood) which is used for making imitation vinegar is imported from Germany. Under the regulations, genuine vinegar may ba either malt vinegar, wine vinegar apple or cider vinegar, or fruit vinegar there is no lack in New Zealand of "the apples, gooseberries, and other fruit from which good vinegar may be manufactured, so that in this particular tho principal eliect of the new regulations should be to promo to a profitable local industry. Another point raised! by one of'tho manufacturers interviewed was: What about imported goods? The answer to ; ,L s regulations apply to all ioodstrifes in New Zealand, whether they are locally manufactured or imported. Paraffin, in Essences. The collection of information which preceded and has accompanied the compilation of the new regulations has led to some rather startling revelations. For instance, ons official report states that in some of the essences sold for flavouring liquid paraffin is uin place of, or as an adulterant of ethylie alcohol. It does not seem to-matter much in. this caso whether liquid paraffin is an imitation or a substitute, but the view of the matter embodied .in the 'new regulations is that an essence consisting mainly of a diluted wax candle should not be sold to house-wives-who are in ignorance of. what they are wally getting. A Period of Grace. The machinery necessary for tho enforcement of the new regulations is already in existence, but it will take twelvo months to bring the regulations into full operation. Some latitude is alloived to trades .in respect of existing stock-in-trade, under conditions set forth as follows. m Sub-section 3, Section 27, of tho Sale, of Pootl and Drugs Act, 1908:— "Notwithstanding anything contained in any regulation made under the authority of this section, it shall bo lawful for any person at any time. within twelve months after tlio date of | tho gazetting of such regulation to sell any food <or drug, tho sale of which is otherwise lawful, if he proves that at.the said date such food'or drug was part of the existing stock-in-trade in Now Zealand >of any person carrying on business there, and that since the said date no.act has been done whereby the said food or drug fails to conform to the requirements of the said regulation. For the purposes of this Sub-section any goods purchased before tho said date for importation into Now Zealand shall be deemed to to. part of tho purchaser's stock-in-trade in New Zealand."