official inspections 27. i23 



The Serial Number is Sometimes Misleading. 



Explained below are two very important points to which 

 careful attention should be given not only by the food and drug 

 trade but by the purchasing public. 



A serial number appearing upon a package is absolutely no 

 surety that the contents may be used with safety cither as a 

 food or as a medicine. Mixtures and compounds containing 

 chemicals not allowed in foods are being sold for the purpose 

 of admixture with foods under proprietary and trade names and 

 often carry a serial number. 



The serial number was intended to be a convenient means of 

 identification by which a product could be traced at once to its 

 source and any fault placed with the manufacturer. Any pro- 

 ducer of a definite food or drug product can, by filling a general 

 guaranty, with the U. S. Secretary of Agriculture and applying 

 for a serial number, obtain the privilege of using upon his goods 



the legend "Guaranteed by under the 



Food and Drugs Act, June 30, 1906. Serial No " This 



statement simply means that the manufacturer guarantees the 

 goods in the package to be as represented by the label. It does 

 not mean that the Government guarantees the goods in any way 

 or assumes any responsibility for them. A package containing 

 the most deadly poison known can as legally bear a guaranty and 

 serial number as a package containing the most healthful food 

 product. In either case if the contents of the package are in 

 accord with the label upon the outside the package can be legally 

 sold. 



A compound consisting in whole or in part of a chemical 

 which must, under the Food and Drug Laws, be named upon 

 the package, can be legally sold bearing the guaranty and serial 

 number but this does not give manufacturers the right to use 

 this compound in food products without stating, the presence of 

 the chemical or drug under consideration. For example, it was 

 found during the inspection of bottled sodas that some of the 

 manufacturers were using sweeteners which were guaranteed 

 under the National Food and Drugs Act and bore serial num- 

 bers. They consisted, however, either in whole or in part of the 

 chemical ordinarily known as saccharine the presence of which, 

 under both the National and the Maine Food and Drug Laws. 

 must be stated upon the labels of goods which contain it. 



