288 ANNUAL REPOETS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Imported Food and Drugs. 



Under the food and drugs act inspection is maintained of foods 

 and drugs imported into the United States. The act provides that 

 any article of food or drug offered for entry into the United States 

 that is adulterated or misbranded under the act, or is otherwise 

 dangerous to the health of the people of the United States, or that 

 is proliibited or restricted in the country in which made or from 

 which exported, shall be refused admission to this country. 



This provision of the act throws a great volume of work upon the 

 bureau, especially in Ncav York, through which port a large propor- 

 tion of the imported foods and drugs is entered. It is impossible 

 Avith the limited personnel available to examine all shipments of 

 imported foods and drugs. Attention is therefore directed to ship- 

 ments of the articles that previous examinations have indicated 

 are most likely to b? adulterated. It is highly important that all 

 shipments of each articl:^ being inspected during a given period be 

 s xamined in order that the goods of every importer may be handled 

 uniformly. It is also highly important that the work of examina- 

 tion be done promptly in order to prevent the accumulation of undue 

 storage charges upon consignments. Progress was made during the 

 year in systematizing and speeding up the work in New York, but 

 the force available is entirely inadequate to include in the examina- 

 tions all the consignments that should receive attention. The force 

 of analysts at New York was reduced during the war, since the vol- 

 ume of imports was greatly lessened during that period, and appro- 

 priations for the work will not permit the force to h} restored to an 

 adequate size. 



Food Standards. 



The formulating of food standards and definitions is of the great- 

 est importance in the effective enforcement of the food and drugs 

 act. The Bureau of Chemistry works in close cooperation with the 

 joint committee on definitions and standards which is composed of 

 representatives of the United States Department of Agriculture, 

 the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists, and the Associa- 

 tion of American Dairy, Food, and Drug Officials. During the fiscal 

 yesiv 1922 standards and definitions were adopted by the joint com- 

 mittee for the following food products : Breads, cocoa products, but- 

 ter, ginger ale and ginger-ale flavor, and evaporated milk. 



THE TEA INSPECTION ACT. 



Tea is subject to both the food and drugs act and the tea inspec- 

 tion act. All teas imported into the United States are inspected at 

 time of entry and only those teas which come up to the United 

 States standard, both as to purity and quality, are admitted. A 

 larger percentage of tea than usual was rejected during the fiscal 

 year ending June 80, 1922. The rejections for quality were due 

 mainly to damaged teas, and the rejections for .purity were due to 

 impurities in certain China green teas offered for entry during the 

 last six months of the year. 



Eleven seizures were effected and two prosecutions instituted under 

 the food and drugs act for the shipment into interstate commerce 

 of tea in violation of that act. 



