880 FOODS AND FOOD ADULTERANTS. 



ft. In the case of food or drink. Continued. 



(6) If it be colored, or coated, or polished, or powdered, whereby damage is 



concealed or it is made to appear better than it really is or of greater 

 value. 



(7) If it contain any added poisonous ingredient or any ingredient which 



may render such article injurious to the health of the person consuming 

 it: Provided, That the State board of health may, with the approval of 

 the governor, from time to time declare certain articles or preparations 

 to be exempt from the provisions of this act: And provided further, That 

 the provisions of this act shall not apply to mixtures or compounds rec- 

 ognized as ordinary articles of food, provided that the same are not 

 injurious to health and that the articles are distinctly labeled as a mix- 

 ture, stating the components of the mixture. 



Under this definition the following may be classed as the adultera- 

 tions of teas : 



(1) Facing (6). 



(2) The addition of spent or partially exhausted leaves (3). 



(3) The addition of foreign leaves (1). 



(4) The addition of foreign astringents and substances designed to 

 affect the apparent quality or strength (1). 



ADULTERATION METHODS. 



Facing. The treatment of teas with various coloring matters, a 

 process termed facing, comes properly under the head of adulterants. 

 Facing consists in treating the prepared leaves with mixtures contain- 

 ing Prussian blue, turmeric, indigo, or plumbago to impart some favorite 

 color or gloss to the leaf and always has a fraudulent intent. Leaves 

 which have been damaged in the manufacture or which from their age 

 or certain imperfection are inferior are faced to improve their appear- 

 ance and price. The teas consumed by the Chinese and Japanese them- 

 selves are not faced, while those for export seldom escape this treatment. 

 The Chinese and Japanese black teas are usually treated with plumbago 

 (black lead). There is no evidence that these facing agents are delete- 

 rious to the health in the quantities in Avhich they are employed, but in- 

 asmuch as they add a useless foreign matter to the teas for the pur- 

 pose of deception their use should be discouraged. "Prussian blue is 

 insoluble in water and alcohol. * * * It is deemed a tonic, febrifuge, 

 and alterative, but is at present rarely used. * * * The dose is 

 from 0.2 to 0.33 gram repeated several times per day and gradually in- 

 creased until some effect is produced." 1 



In order to take the amount of Prussian bine stated above as a single 

 dose in the form of tea-facing, one would have to consume nearly a 

 pound of tea. It would require a long time under these conditions for 

 even an inveterate tea-drinker to consume this amount of Prussian 

 blue. 



llassall 2 includes Prussian bine in his list of substance - more or less 

 injurious." 



1 Sr,- T. S. Hispcnsatui v. Mill .!., p. 1171. 

 Food, by A. II. Hassall, p. 254. 



