MOISTURE IN BUTTER.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1943, 29 December 1913, Page 8

MOISTURE IN BUTTER.

.VANCOUVER COMPLAINTS, Somo time ago complaints were mado to the Now Zealand Uororrment that in Vancouver dealers tampered wiih New Zealand butter by reclaiming it and adding moistjre to it. Tliid information, was brought under tho notice of Sir. AV. A. Bcddoo (Canadian Commissioner), who communicated with his Minister for Agriculture, and called tho attention of tho latter to the dairy legislation of Canada, prohibiting the adding of moisture to foreign butter. Mr. Beddoo asked the Minister to taka somo steps ill regard to the complaints made. In reply, the Minister states that his Department is keeping in close touch with tho situation at Vancouver, and that inspectors havo bee'i instructed to visit tho houses of tho butter importers from timo to time, and to take samples for tho purpose of detecting any violation of tho regulations. Informations had been laid against somo firms for t&nipering with foreign butter and incorporating water in excess of the legal limit, and judgment had been given ill favour of tho Department. "So til at there may bo no mistake as to the law on this subject," remarked Mr. .Beddoe in the course of an interview with a "New Zealand Herald" representatiM, "I may saj that our Act clearly sets forth tliat it is an offence in Canada to sell, offer, or expose, or have in possession for sale any cheese or butter which is produced in any foreign country unless tlie name of the country of origin 'is branded, stamped, - or marked in a legible manlier upon tho outside of every bo* or packet containing such produce, in letters not less than •Jm. high and. Jin. wide. "The legal' amount of moisture m butter permitted in Canada, is 16 per 'cent. It is, however, not an odenco to cut tho butter into pound blocks and sell it under a specialbrand, so long as tho country of origin is indicated on tho wrapper. The law simply provides that butter . branded with .the name of a creamery must be creamery butter. Any violation of these provisions will bo visited by the Canadian Government with severe penalties. 1 '