INSPECTION OF COMMERCIAL FEEDSTUFFS 



By Feed Control Service Slaff 



John W. Kuzmeski, Research Professor. Official Chemist 



Albert F. Spelman, Associate Research Professor 



C. Tyson Smith. Associate Research Professor, Microscopist 



Bertram Gersten. Assistant Research Professor 



Marion B. Rhodes, Research Instructor 



Joan T. Cody, Research Instructor 



Joseph ConkHn, Inspector 



Edward F. Vlach, Technical Assistatit 



Cora B. Grover, Principal Clerk 



INTRODUCTION 



\ear by year the manufacture of feed and consequently the problem of 

 feed control become more complicated. In this bulletin, analytical results 

 for fourteen drugs, five vitamins, and six minerals are reported. With the 

 appearance of new drugs including the actual use of one hormone and the con- 

 templated use of another in feeds, the list in the next bulletin will be even 

 longer. 



Although analysis of feeds for these newer factors is very important, 

 protein, fat and fiber determinations as well as microscopic examination are 

 still necessary and cannot be neglected. 



One of the major feed control problems this year has been the influx of 

 mislabelled oat products from Canada. At least five Canadian firms were 

 responsible for the shipment of these products labelled as ground oats. 



The lowest protein content found in these products was 7.2 percent. 

 The highest fiber content was 22.1 percent. Microscopic examination showed 

 that the products came under the definition for grain and mixed screenings. 

 The products appeared to be synthetic mixtures of oats, wheat, barley and 

 oat hulls. 



To explain the findings of the Control Service, one of the shippers ad- 

 vanced an explanation that would Imve strained the gullibility of even a tyro 

 in the feed business. He stated that the presence of wheat and barley in the 

 mislabelled products was due to the field appearance of these grains in the oat 

 crop and insisted that the products shipped consisted of the oat crop as har- 

 vested. Since wheat and barley are much lower in fiber than oats, it is im- 

 possible to explain how their presence in oats, without the addition of oat 

 hulls, can raise the fiber content of the mixture far above the fiber content 

 of oats. 



Despite protestations to the contrary, the Massachusetts brokers and 

 manufacturers were not all blameless in the matter. In most cases, there was 

 a considerable price differential between the Canadian ground products and 

 good grades of whole oats. It is reported that some Massachusetts manu- 

 facturers ordered so-called "mulligan" ground oats. 



Because neither the Federal Food and Drug Administration nor the 

 Massachusetts Feed Control Service can prosecute the Canadian shippers, the 

 Massachusetts brokers and /or manufacturers were held responsible for the 

 proper registration and labelling of these products. In the future, more atten- 

 tion will be given to such violations of the Massachusetts Feed Law. At a time 

 when the United States Department of Agriculture is faced with a surplus of 

 grains, the sale of mislabelled low grade Canadian grain products cannot be 

 tolerated. 



