136 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I909. 



M. F. D. E. 17. 



LABELING. 



To put into a clear concise statement the labeling requirements 

 involved under the lav/ is perhaps impossible. The labeling requir- 

 ments apply to everyone making or selling any article of food or drugs 

 and applies to any package in which these materials may be put as well 

 as to the original package. Goods that need to be labeled must be 

 plainly labeled from the time they leave the manufacturer until they 

 reach the consumer. It is as necessary for the retailer to plainly label 

 the package that he gives to a customer as it is for the maker to label 

 the original package in which the goods are shipped. The law is for 

 the protection and the label 's for the information of the consumer. 



Regulations 17 to 30 of the rules and regulations under the National 

 law adopted for Maine in April, 1907, have to do with the section of 

 the law that defines misbranding. In general it is only goods that are 

 adulteration or in imitation of other goods that need labeling. Goods 

 that are exactly what their names * imply do not need labels ; all other 

 articles need to be labeled to show what they are. For instance, — such 

 articles as flour, corn meal, sugar, eggs, tea, coffee, beans, molasses, etc., 

 do not need to be labeled if they are exactly what their names imply. 

 Articles of food and drugs that are not exactly in accord with the name 

 applied to them must be labeled. E. g., flour to which corn starch has 

 been added, molasses mixed with glucose, coffee containing, chicory, 

 etc. must be labeled to show exactly what they are. 



When goods are sold in imitation of other goods or of a different 

 strength or purity than the genuine they must be plainly labeled so that 

 the exact nature of the goods can be readily understood by a non- 

 professional person. The words that are used to explain the departure 

 from the genuine must be in the same sized type as that used for the 

 name of the article and must be printed on a background uniform with 

 that on which the name is printed. Goods that differ from the stand- 

 ards in any particular must be plainly marked with the words above 

 or below standard strength as the case may be must be uniform in size 

 and background with the name of the goods. In the case of goods put 

 up by the retailer for direct sale to the consumer they may be labeled 

 by the use of a gummed label, or a tag, or if put up in a package that 

 will admit of it the package itself may be directly labeled. The label 

 may be printed from type or a rubber stamp, or it may be written with 

 ink. The only requirment is that it be plainly marked and the type 

 used can not be smaller than 8 point capitals. 



The distinction between misbranding and adulteration must be kept 

 in mind. Correct branding is not a remedy for adulteration or for sub- 

 stitution. Goods must be sold for exactly what they are. If, for 

 instance, a customer asks for maple sirup and the dealer supplies a 



* Except in the case of articles containing alcohol, morphine, opium, 

 etc. 



