official inspections 2']. 99 



Results of the Examination. 



In discussing the results of the examination of the bottled 

 soda waters and similar beverages offered in Maine there are 

 a few general considerations which apply to nearly all of the 

 bottlers. 



Decorated Caps. Practically all of the bottlers in the State 

 are using decorated caps which are made for them outside of 

 the State. These usually carry the name of the beverage and 

 the words "Artificial flavor and color." It happens either 

 through carelessness in ordering or in not giving attention to 

 the way in which their orders are filled, that this occasions 

 misbranding on the part of the dealers and bottlers in two 

 ways: it sometimes happens that plain caps without the words 

 "artificial flavor and color are furnished when the bottler in- 

 tended that they should carry that statement, and it also hap- 

 pens in the case of products which are not colored and in which 

 a pure flavor is used, as for instance in Lemon Soda, that they 

 are sometimes marked "artificial flavor and color" when in fact 

 the goods are not artificially colored or flavored — a technical 

 misbranding. In the present investigation only the first of these 

 classes of misbrandings have been followed up. 



Cream Soda. Under this heading practically all of the bot- 

 tlers put up a rather sweet soda, with vanilla and perhaps some 

 other flavoring added, which is absolutely innocent of any dairy 

 product. Strictly speaking these goods are misbranded because 

 they are called "Cream" Soda. How far the public is misled 

 by this name cannot be well ascertained. The bottlers state that 

 this Cream Soda has been put up by them for many years and 

 that they have never thought of it as being a dairy product, and 

 that it means to them a trade name and is not used with any 

 thought of deceiving the public in any way. 



One house, Caldwell Sweet of Bangor, adds to its side label a 

 statement that this is not a dairy product. In all other cases 

 it was sold simply as Cream Soda, although frequently accom- 

 panied by the words "artificial flavor and color." 



Champagne Cider. With one exception the champagne cider 

 found in the State was marked "artificial flavor and color." 

 Strictly speaking this is misbranding even though the words 

 "artificial flavor and color" are used, as it is not a cider but a 

 made-up article. For the most part cider is apparently used as 

 a foundation and then it is built up by the addition of other 



