United States Department of Agriculture. 



BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY Circular No. 18. 

 H. W. WILEY, Chief of Bureau. 



SUGGESTIONS TO IMPORTERS OF FOOD PRODUCTS. 



The act making appropriations for the Department of Agriculture 

 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1905, contains the following pro- 

 vision relating to the inspection of imported food products: 



To investigate the adulteration, false labeling, or false branding of foods, drugs, 

 beverages, condiments, and ingredients of such articles, when deemed by the Secre- 

 tary of Agriculture advisable; and the Secretary of Agriculture, whenever he has 

 reason to believe that such articles are being imported from foreign countries which 

 : are dangerous to the health of the people of the United States, or which shall be 

 falsely labeled or branded either as to their contents or as to the place of their manu- 

 facture or production, shall make a request upon the Secretary of the Treasury for 

 samples from original packages of such articles for inspection and analysis,' and the 

 Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized to open such original packages and 

 deliver specimens to the Secretary of Agriculture for the purpose mentioned, giving 

 notice to the owner or consignee of such articles who may be present and have the 

 right to introduce testimony; and the Secretary of the Treasury shall refuse delivery 

 to the consignee of any such goods which the Secretary of Agriculture reports to him 

 to have been inspected and analyzed and found to be dangerous to health, or falsely 

 labeled or branded, either as to their contents or as to the place of their manufacture 

 or production, or which are forbidden entry or to be sold, or are restricted in sale in 

 the countries in which they are made or from which they are exported. 



In order to facilitate the execution of this law and to avoid any 

 unnecessary delay in the inspection of products on arrival, the atten- 

 tion of importers is called to the following suggestions: 



1. The inspection of food products includes foods, beverages and 

 condiments, and ingredients of such articles. 



2. The inspection, under the language of the law, relates to the fol- 

 lowing points: 



(a) To ascertain if the imported products are injurious to health. 



(b) If they be falsely branded or labeled in regard to the contents of 

 the packages. 



(<?) If they be falsely branded or labeled as to the place of manu- 

 facture or production. 



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