FOOD INSPECTION. 



Chas. D, Woods, Director. 



L. H. Merrill, Chemist in charge of food analysis. 



The law regulating- the sale and analysis of foods, enacted by 

 the legislature of Maine in 1905, apparently contemplates twa 

 things ; the proper and truthful branding of all articles of food^ 

 and the exclusion from the markets of deleterious food materials. 

 The law does not seek to prevent the sale of any article of whole- 

 some food, but in case a food material is other than it appears 

 to be, it " shall be plainly labeled, branded or tagged so as ta 

 show the exact character thereof." Bulletin 116 of this Station 

 contains the full text of the law and food standards so far as 

 they have been fixed for Maine. Copies of this bulletin may be 

 had on application to the Station. 



Baking Powde;rs. 



As baking powders are the only food material mentioned by 

 name in the law, it was decided to include them in the first trip 

 of the inspector in order to see in how far the powders offered 

 for sale in the State conformed to the requirements of the law, 

 which demands that such powders " shall be plainly labeled so- 

 as to show the acid salt or salts contained therein." As i& 

 pointed out on page 139 beyond, all three classes of baking- 

 powder leave objectionable residues in the resulting breads, and 

 there is great dispute as to which are the least objectionable. 

 The food law of this State does not attempt to in any way 

 answer the question as to which is best. They are all put on the 

 same footing of correctly stating the source of the acid constit- 

 uent. A baking powder is adulterated under the law only when 

 the label does not truthfully name the kind of acid salt it con- 

 tains; when it is falsely labeled in any particular; when it 

 contains useless, inert foreign matter, mineral or otherwise. 



