The Stratford Evening Post. WIIH WITH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. MONDAY, APRIL 7, 1913. PURE FOOD.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 76, 7 April 1913, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post. WIIH WITH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. MONDAY, APRIL 7, 1913. PURE FOOD.

Au Act of Parliament, passed nearly six years ago, came into active operation, in so far as some of its chief provisions are concerned, on April Ist of this year. The measure is the Sal 9 of Food and Drugs Act, and up to this time, since it became law, it has lacked the regulations defining the standards of purity in food and drugs which the Act required, and has therefore been virtually of no effect. Now, however, the necessary standards have been set, regulations have been drafted in accordance therewith, and the purchaser should bo able to know exactly what he is buying, both' as regards quantity and quality, when ho goes shopping. It has been suggested to a representative of, the Christchurch “Press” that the Public Healtli Department “should have given the grocers who are so intimately involved in the matter more notification than is contained in a mere ‘Gazette’ notice.” But, as the “Press” remarks, the trader who kept himself informed of what was occurring should have known' of tllo impending enforcement of the provisions of the Act that had so far been a dead letter. It is not, however, supposed that the Department will act harshly at the beginning, and it is suggested that traders who have in hand largo stocks of articles which come under the ban of the Act, may be given time to get rid of them, though it may bo necessary for them to indicate in some way on the packages the nature of the contents, as required by the Act. The effect of the enforcement ought to mean that the public will get a purer article for its money than before, and the benefit accruing to the general consumer must therefore be considerable. it is pretty freely stated that even in this Dominion where the general standard of foodstuffs is on a pretty high level of purity, there are many “substitute” articles sold as something which they are not. These must now disappear or, at least, bo sold for what they really are. Food adulteration is a mean thing, and the claim of the Hon. Mr Rhodes that the bringing into force of this Act will mean “a genuine dinner-table”, we hope to see proved.