OFFICIAL INSPECTIONS 39. 75 



Cider vinegar. A normal, well fermented cider vinegar will 

 frequently carry from 5.5 to 6.5 per cent acetic acid. The 

 standard is fixed at 4 per cent. This has resulted in many of 

 the large handlers and manufacturers of vinegar reducing, by 

 the addition of water, the cider vinegars so that they will carry 

 something over the 4 per cent acetic acid required by lav/. Dilu- 

 tion of vinegar naturally reduces not only the acid strength but 

 the amount of other ingredients in proportion to the dilution, 

 so that reduced vinegars will not comply with the analytical 

 constants for this product, but the relations existing between 

 these various ingredients will remain the same. When vinegar 

 is diluted with water the label must plainly indicate the fact 

 that it hgs been reduced by the addition of water. This type 

 of goods is illustrated by the sample obtained from Dunn & 

 Ross, Auburn, which they had from Ross Co., Auburn. This 

 was labeled : "Reduced to standard 40 grains. Haynes-Piper 

 Co., Ayer, Mass. Pure Cider Vinegar." It, of course, was not 

 a pure cider vinegar, but a cider vinegar to which water had 

 been added. This type of goods labeled to plainly show that 

 it has been diluted will be passed in this State until further 

 notice. 



Adulterated cider vinegar. Some of the' larger factories are 

 not only diluting their vinegar to the normal strength, or a lit- 

 tle bit more, by the addition of water but are skillfully blend- 

 ing apple jelly and other apple products to these diluted vine- 

 gars so that they appear even better than the straight, country 

 made cider vinegar.- Such addition is an adulteration, for the 

 law provides that a product shall be deemed to be adulterated 

 if it be mixed, colored, powdered, coated or stained in a manner 

 whereby damage or inferiority is concealed. The only purpose 

 of adding these materials to a reduced vinegar is for the pur- 

 pose of concealing damage or inferiority. A vinegar thus rein- 

 forced can be lawfully sold if it is plainly labeled "Imitation 

 Vinegar." 



Branding vinegar. The retailer who handles any vinegar 

 that is not strictly what it appears to be must label the package 

 delivered to his customer. The law applies to a single pint just 

 as it does to a barrel. Anything that a manufacturer needs to 

 label in order to lawfully sell must be labeled equally plainly 

 when it is delivered to the consumer. 



