88 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ' Off. Doc. 



ICE CREAM 



The chemists of he Bureau analyzed, during 1911, 20S samples 

 of ice cream and similar products. There weie terminated during 

 the same period, '.M) cases, for \iolatlon of this Act, 2S of tliese cases 

 l)eing hrought for <leficiency in fat below the very mild requirement 

 of the law, that products sold as ice cream shall contain not less 

 than 8 per cent, of milk fat. 



CHEESE 



Seventeen samples of cheese were examined during the yeai", but 

 no cases have been terminated for violations of the cheese law. In 

 geneial, the findings show the composition of domestic cheeses, at 

 least, to be up to the normal as respects their fat content. 



RENOVATED BUTTER AND OLEOMARGARINE 



It was noted in the preliminary report for 1910, that in recent 

 years the sale of renovated butter has been very limited. This is 

 further illustrated by the fact that during 1911 no sample of this 

 product was found on the market by the agents. 



Oleomargarine samples to the number of 113 were examined by 

 the Bureau's chemists, and there were instituted and terminated 

 during the year 63 cases, for violation of the oleomargarine act of 

 1901. Of these cases, 13 were instituted for sales of oleomargarine 

 as and for butter; 10 for sales with meals, without the license 

 legally required, and 19 for sales by vendors, without licenses ; 1 for 

 sale from a bread wagon on the streets, in violation of the legal re- 

 quirement that the place of sale be restricted to the store room 

 specified in the application for the license; and 24 for the reason, 

 solely or in part, that the product was colored so as to cause it to 

 resemble, or be in imitation of yellow butter. 



It should be stated that the licenses issued upon application, and 

 in accordance with the requirements of the law, represent nearly 

 every town and x>opulous village in the Commonwealth, and that 

 the number of applications for licenses appears to be steadily on 

 the increase. In these times of high price of dairy products, includ- 

 ing butter, oleomargarine is often called "the poor man's butter.'' 

 The legalization of the sale of oleomargarine for use as a food, recog- 

 nizes its fitness for such use, and gives no warrant for any official 

 hostility to the oleomargarine trade when the production and sale 

 of oleomargarine are conducted in entire compliance with the letter 

 and the spirit of the law. The chief dilficulty we have found in the 

 enforcement of the oleomargarine Act has been to secure a faithful 

 compliance with its requirement that the oleomargarine '"shall be 

 made and kept free from all coloration or ingredients causing it to 

 look like yellow butter." The reason for the legal requirement just 

 quoted was not that the coloration would necessarily lead to the 

 development or introduction of poisonous or deleterious compounds 

 or ingredients, but in order that the deception of the consumer, so 

 difficult to prevent where the oleomargarine is made to resemble 

 butter of the usual appearance, might be avoided so far as practicable 

 without placing upon the oleomargarine trade an unnecessary hard- 

 ship. The consumer who studies closely the nrarket prices of the 

 white or light colored oleomargarines, and those which are brought 



