REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 203 



FOOD STANDARDS. 



In the appropriation bill for 1903 Congress authorized the Secre- 

 tary of Agriculture " in collaboration with the Association of Official 

 Agricultural Chemists, and such other experts as he may deem neces- 

 sary, to establish standards of purity for food products and to deter- 

 mine what are regarded as adulterations therein." In accordance 

 with this authority, I appointed as special agents members of the food 

 standards committee of the Association of Official Agricultural 

 Chemists, and the work of establishing standards was taken up. 

 Later this authority was repealed. 



ENFORCEMENT OF THE FOOD AND DEUGS ACT. 



The food and drugs act became effective on January 1, 1907, and 

 the actual work in connection with the enforcement of the law began 

 on that date. The first step was to organize a force to handle the 

 various phases of the work. The organization includes: (1) In- 

 spectors who procure samples for analysis and information regarding 

 the manufacture and sale of food and drugs; (2) chemists who ana- 

 lyze samples and make scientific investigations of problems relating 

 to the composition and adulteration of food and drugs; (3) the Board 

 of Food and Drug Inspection, whose duties are to consider all ques- 

 tions arising in the enforcement of the food and drugs act upon which 

 the decision of the Secretary of Agriculture is necessary, to consider 

 correspondence involving interpretations of the law and questions 

 arising under the law, and to conduct hearings based upon alleged 

 violations of the food and drugs act. 



The enforcement of the law proceeds along two lines : First, prod- 

 ucts imported into the United States from foreign countries; and, 

 second, products manufactured or sold in the District of Columbia 

 or the Territories, introduced into interstate commerce, or exported 

 from the United States. 



In the case of imported foods and drugs no prosecutions are made. 

 The effort of the department is confined to j)reventing the importa- 

 tion of adulterated or misbranded goods and causing their reship- 

 ment beyond the jurisdiction of the United States. This work is 

 done through branch laboratories which are located at the leading 

 ports of entry, where inspection is made of all food and drug prod- 

 ucts that enter the United States. 



In the case of goods shipped into interstate commerce, or manu- 

 factured or sold within the District of Columbia or the Territories, 

 the procedure of inspection is necessarily different. The inspectors 

 visit all sections of the countiy to secure samples for analysis and 

 such information as may be required by the department. The duties 

 of the inspectors are as follows: (1) To investigate the wholesale and 



