BUREAU OF ANIMAL INDUSTRY. 107 



mctliod of computing the weight of canned products and tolerances 

 and variations from the declared quantity of contents which might 

 be considered reasonable within the meaning of the statute. The 

 ({uestion of liquids surrounding the meat and products in cans was 

 also given attention, resulting in the correction of the practice 

 of including the weight of added water in the statement of quantity 

 on containers. In the case of canned products packed for commercial 

 use and found to bear incorrect statements of weight relabeling was 

 required. Errors of this nature occurring on products prepared for 

 the Army were called to the attention of the War Department and 

 resulted either in the correction of the statements of weight or in 

 the rejection of the products. 



In cooperation with tlie War Industries Board and the Committee 

 on the Conservation of Tin Plate of the Federal Food Administra- 

 tion the slack filling of tin containers of meat or meat food products 

 at establishments under inspection was prohibited during the period 

 of the war. 



MEAT-INSPECTION LABORATORIES. 



The laboratory examination of samples of meat and meat food 

 products prepared at establishments at which inspection is conducted 

 has been continued in the meat-inspection laboratories maintained 

 in Washington and six other cities of the country. Tliis examination 

 consists in determining whether the product is properly labeled or 

 contains any deleterious substance, in analyzing spices, waters, and 

 other ingredients used in the curing and preparation of meat food 

 products, and in analyzing rat exterminators, inks, etc. 



The laboratories also continued to examine meat and products pre- 

 pared for the Army and the Navy to determine whether they con- 

 tained any harmful substance and to see that they conformed to the 

 Army and Navy specifications. 



The total number of products analyzed during the year was 60,040, 

 of which 51,737 were domestic, 992 imported, and 7,3il specially pre- 

 pared for military consumption. Samples of 1,491 domestic and 38 

 imported products were found to be not in accordance with the regu- 

 lations and 21 of those examined for the Army and the Navy were 

 rejected. Of 680 waters examined 111 were prohibited for use in 

 their untreated state where they would come m direct contact with 

 moats. 



Four hundred and fifty gallons of branding ink was prepared and 

 sent to meat-inspection stations for use in marking meats. 



In addition to the routine work of a regulatory nature, the Wash- 

 ington meat-inspection laboratory has cooperated with the Office of 

 Home Economics of the States Relations Service in studying the com- 

 position of undigested fats. Studies have been made also of fats 

 which had been heated to the smoking temperature, the tests showing 

 that such fats undergo a slight decomposition. The Washington 

 laboratory developed a method for the detection of whale meat in 

 sausage or other mixtures with animal fats. In cooperation with the 

 Bureau of Markets, the Washington and St. Louis laboratories have 

 made studies of the melting point and composition of the fat of soft 

 pork. All creameries which prepare butter to be used in oleomar- 

 garin were inspected, and lists were issued showing those which met 

 the requirements relative to pasteurization. 



