The Bulletin. 



99 



TRACTS AND VANILLA EXTRACT SUBSTITUTES— C'oHitnwcd. 



acid strength of vinegar, to be sure, but instead of having the delightful 

 flavor and odor, so desirable in vinegar, it has nothing but a pungent, 

 stinging odor and taste. So-called spirit vinegar is practically nothing 

 but acetic acid in water, colored wdth caramel. Still, manufacturers 

 and dealers want to sell it as vinegar. They also want to mix it in 

 all proportions from 20 to 90 per cent, with vinegar and sell this mix- 

 ture as vinegar. 



The most frequent violation of the food law to-day is the sale of these 

 so-called vinegars as vinegar by the retail dealers of the State. If the 

 manufacturers or jobbers w'ere to ship these products, labeled vinegar, 

 from one State into another they w^ould be prosecuted under the I*^a- 

 tional law. 



These products, shipped in barrels, are not often labeled or branded 

 vinegar, but are labeled what they are, though many dealers in selling 

 them at retail sell them as vinegar. When a sample of so-called vinegar 

 is bought by an inspector as vinegar, and the dealer is notified that he 

 has violated the food law in the sale of a product as vinegar which was 

 not vinegar, he almost invariably replies that he thought it was vinegar. 

 Had he looked at the label he would have seen that it was not vinegar. 



During the year 311 samples of vinegar and so-called vinegar have 

 been purchased from the dealers of the State and examined. The results 

 of the examination of these samples are tabulated below. 



Dealers are cautioned that the sale of so-called vinegar or adulterated 

 vinegar as vinegar will be prosecuted. 



