632 V. S. BUREAU OF FISHERIES 



houses under a Federal law, enforcible by Federal officers, and under 

 the jurisdiction of Federal courts. These bills usually are worded so 

 as to vest the enforcing power in the Secretary of Agriculture. 



The provisions of the Federal Food and Drugs Act, administered 

 by the Bureau of Chemistry, Department of Agriculture, apply to 

 all foods imported, exported, entering interstate commerce, or manu- 

 factured, sold, or offered for sale in the District of Columbia or the 

 Territories. The act does not mention cold storage specifically, but 

 the selling of foods within the jurisdiction of the act after they 

 have become contaminated or spoiled by cold storage is a violation. 



A so-called " uniform cold storage law " has been enacted by many 

 of the States. This law T is, in its principal provisions, generally uni- 

 form, though modifications of a minor sort, and in some cases im- 

 portant modifications, have been made. The following States have 

 enacted this law: California, Delaware (fish exempt), Indiana, Iowa, 

 Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New 

 Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania. Virginia, 

 and Wisconsin. Kentucky, Michigan, South Dakota, and Utah have 

 briefer and less restrictive laws. Florida has passed legislation pro- 

 viding for construction and operation of publicly-owned cold-storage 

 plants. The uniform law, as enacted, places the enforcing power in 

 the State department of agriculture, board of health, or food and 

 drugs department, and usually gives the enforcing body discretion- 

 ary power to make regulations under the law. 



In most cases cold storage is defined as the holding of articles of 

 food for 30 days or more in a cold-storage warehouse at a tempera- 

 ture of 45° — in some cases 40° F., or colder. A license to operate is 

 usually required, a fee in most cases (but not all) being charged, 

 ranging from $5 to $50 per annum. Records are required to be kept 

 of receipts and withdrawals, and a report must be made monthly or 

 quarterly to the enforcing body. In some cases the reports are com- 

 piled and are open to inspection. The enforcing body is given the 

 power to inspect the premises of cold-storage plants, which, if found 

 to be insanitary, may be closed or the license may be suspended or 

 revoked. Goods are required to be marked with the date of receipt 

 at the time when they are received for storage and with the date of 

 withdrawal when withdrawn. In most cases the words " cold stor- 

 age," or a similar mark, must appear on the package, and in a few 

 cases the name and location of the warehouse where the goods were 

 stored must also be shown. 



In most of the States that have enacted the law a limit of 12 months 

 (Delaware 6 months, Indiana 9 months, and Virginia 10 months) 

 is placed on the period of storage, but the term may be extended 

 in most cases on application to and inspection by the enforcing body. 

 In some cases the term of extension is indefinite; in others it is 60 

 days, with a second extension of like length — a total of 120 days. 



Most of the State cold-storage laws have clauses designed to enable 

 the purchaser to ascertain whether or not foods have been cold 

 stored. To this end they require that " cold storage," or similar de- 

 vice, appear on the goods, or that a placard to the same effect be 

 displayed on the bulk of the goods when placed on sale. Some re- 

 quire invoices, advertising, etc.. to state the cold-storage character 

 of the foods. 



