SALE OF FOOD AND DRUGS. THE NEW REGULATIONS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2815, 26 February 1908, Page 36

SALE OF FOOD AND DRUGS. THE NEW REGULATIONS.

DEFINITIONS AND STANDARDS. (FeOM OUB Om- COBRESPO n>2"T ) WELLINGTON, Vsbrws y 20. Regulations under the sale o! "food ar.d Drugs Act, passed lasi cession, hs o been framed, and will come irto force on the Ist of next month. The following particulars regarding sorae of me pvn'Tal foods, etc., will be re&d w .:h >ons.ofc rafale interest : — Bread. — Definition: Bread h a porous food substance, obtained by moL.pti ng and baking flour. with provl-.ion fat the mechanical separation of {.he do'sgn hy air Or carbonic acid gas. Stardard: Bread Bhall^ contain no* move than one-fif.h <0.2) per "cent, of ash insoluble in arid and in the crumb substance (exclusive ol crust), not more than 40 per cent, of water. Prohibited addition : The addition of alum or other foreign siibstance to doxtg'n or to bread is hereby prohibited. Preserved Fruits.— Standard : Preserved fruit is any sound fruit or fruit substance preserved in a dry state or in r yrup, fruit juice, or water. Prohibited addition : The addition of salicylic acid, boric acid, bonzoic »ciß, or other preservat^e substance (except mugar) to preserved f nut or to the medium in which it is preserved :s hereby prohibited. Coffee.— Definition : Coffee is the seed of the coffee arabica, o«: the coffee liberica. Standard: Ground -roasted coffee shall contain not less than 10 per "ent. of fat, not more than 1 per cent, of saccharine matter, ■not more than 6 per cent, of ash. of which the proportion of soluble .ash shall not be less than 75 per cent., and shall contain no chicory. Coffee &nd Chicory.— Standard : Coffee and chicory is any compound of coffee and chicory containing not less than 50 per cent, of coffee. Chicory and Coffee.— Standard : Chicory and coffee is any compound of chicory and coffee containing not less than 50 per cent. of coffee. Prohibited addition : The addition of any foreign substance (including starch) to coffee or -to coffee and chicory or to chicory and coffee is hereby prohibited. ' Cocoa and Cocoa Products. — Definitions : CSocoa boans are the seeds of the Cacao tree (theobroma cacao, L). Cocoa nib or cracked cocoa is the roasted broken cocoa, bean freed from its shell or husk, with or without the germ. > Cocoa Mass or Cocoa Slab. — Definition : Cocoa mass or cocoa slab is the solid or plastic mass obtained by grinding cocoa nib. Standard : Cocoa mass or cocoa slab shall contain not less than 45 per cent. of cocoa fat. not more than 12 per cent. of starch natural to cocoa, not jnore than 3£ per cent, of crude fibre, not more than 4i per cent, of total ash, and not more than 3 per cent of ash insoluble in water. The proportion of iron estimated as ferric oxide in the total ash shall not exceed onefifth per cent. Chocolate, or Sweet Cocoa Ma^ss. or Confectioners' Chocolate or Cboeolate Coating. — Definitions: Chocolate, or sweet cocoa -mass, or confectioners' chocolate, or chocolate coating, is cocoa mass mixed wltJi sugar, with or without the addition or the subtraction of cocoa fat, and with or without 3he addition of spices or other flavouring substances. Standard : Chocolate, or sweet cocoa mass,- or confectioner's chocolate, or chocolate coating shall -contain in the sugar and fat free residue no higher proportion of starch or fibre or ash than is found in the fat free residue of -standard cocoa mass, cocoa, or powdered cocoa, or cocoa essence. Definition : Cocoa, or powdered cocoa, or cocoa essence is cocoa nib deprived of a portion of its fat and finely pulverised. Standard : Cocoa or powdered cocoa, or oocoa, essenoe shall contain, after correction for cocoa, fat removed, no higher proportion of starch or fibre or ash than standard cocoa mass. Granulated Ground Chocolate, or Chocolate Powder. — Definition. Granulated or ground 1 chocolate, or ehoeols,te powder, is a compound of cocoa mass w'th sugar. Standard : Granulated or ground chocolate, or chocolate powder shall contain in the sugar and fat free residue no higher proportion of starch or crude fibre or ash than standard cocoa mass, and shall contain not more than 50 per cent, of suga. Prepared Cocoa, Hornoepathic Cocoa, and Sweetened Cocoa. — Definition : Prepared cocoa oV homoepathic cocoa or sweetened ococa is a mixture of cocoa mass with sugar or etarch or with both. Standard : Per-p&r-ed cocoa shall contain not less than 40 £,er cent, of cocoa mass, and not more than 6& per cent, of added farinaceous matter and sugar, or shall be compounded of cocoa CiJt? with sugar or farinaceous matter or with both in the proportion declared on the U&el accompanying any package of any *6h article, and shall, after correction for / J and starch amoved, contain in the sugar *nd f»t and starch free residue no higher jf»roportion of fibre or ash than standard aowa mass. Prohibited addition : The iddition to prepared cocoa or homcepathic 6aoo«, or sweetened cocoa, of any foreign colouring matter is hereby prohibited. Soluble Cocoa, or Soluble Cocoa Essence. — Definition : Soluble cocoa or soluble S3OOS. ee*enco is cocoa treated with alkali le salts. Standard soluble cocoa or soluble oocoa essence shall contain not more than 3 per osnt. of added alkali or alkaline n alt, ©itimated as potassium carbonate, and after correction for removed fat and added alki-.i shall contain no higher proportion of starch 6r fibre or ash than standard cocoa m'a'-s. Prohibited addition: The addition of co^-oa iiusk of weighting substance, or foreign 'at. or paraffin, or other injurious substance to cocoa or to any cocoa product is hereby prohibited. Tea. — Definition : Tea is the ieaves and leaf buds of various soecies of tea prepared by the usual trade processes. Standard: Tea shall not yield more than 7 per cent, not less than 4 per cent, of ash, ." of which at least one-half shall be soluble in water. Jt shall yield at least 30 per cent, of extract, and it. shall not contain spurious or exhausted or deoayed or mouldy leaves or stalks, or any Prussian blue or lead or other matter for facing or for any other purpose. If described or -sold as the produot of any country or district, it must be the product of the country or district =o specified. Method of analysis : The proportion of extract shall be det^rmmod by boiling two grains of tea »n distilled water tiridor a reflux condenser for on© hour, filtering wln'p hot, allow mar ♦he hltratp to coo) and evaporating an ftliouot part till of constant weseht. Milk. — Definition: Milk is the freih,

clean, lacteal secretion obtained by the complete milking of one or more heakiiy cows, properly fed and kept, excluding that obtained 15 days before and 10 daj's after calving. Standard : Milk shall not contain less than 12 per cent, of total solids, not lo^s rhan 85 per cent, of solids not, fat, not I^-s t han 5| per cent, of fatty 601id6 (milk fat*), as.d not more than 1 per cent, of asi'. Prohibited addition: The addir.ion of wat.T to milk is hereby prohibited.

Brandy, Whisky. Rum, and Gin. — Standard: Brandy, whisky. and rum shall contain not less than 75 per cent, of proof spirit. Gin shall contain not less than 1)5 per cent, of proof spirit.

Jam and Marmalade. — Definition: Jam or marmalade is an article of food obtained by boiling sound, whole fruit with suppr. Whole fruit may include ginger or similai substances or fruit, which has been deprived of its rind or pericarp or stone or secJ. Standard : Jam or marmalade phall contain no vegetable subitanw other tlnn sound, whole fruit or fruits of the varie.y or varieties designated, nor any preservative •substance other than sugar, nor any foreign substance of the nature of gelatine \.r starch, jelly, nor any foreign flavouring substance, nor any glucose other than stan dard glucose. Mixed or Compound Jam or Marmalade. — Definition : Mixed or compounded iam oi marmalade is an article of food obtained by boiling with sugar two or more va.riel.ics of sound, whole fruit. Standard: Mixed or compounded j«m or marmalade shall contain no vegetable substance other than that derived from the sound, whole fruits of * v ie varieties designated, and shall contain not less than 50 per cent, of the fruit of the variety first named on the label attached to any package of the compound.