14 BULLETIN 1441, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
are persistent advertisers. From a competitive standpoint, they influ- 
ence to some extent the activities of certain other dealers who under 
normal trading conditions would prefer to deal honestly with the trade. 
Such dealers are known locally as " clean-up" men. In all' their 
contacts with the public, especially in advertising, they stress excep- 
tionally high-quality meats handled, yet limit their purchases to 
meats of the most inferior quality. The fact that customers generally 
are uninformed regarding meats and meat cuts makes this decep- 
tion possible. Because of the dissatisfaction which results this prac- 
tice may tend gradually to decrease the demand for meats. 
Local associations comprising both retail grocery men and meat 
dealers of exceptionally high character and ability are active in most 
of the cities studied. In every case they stand for honest methods 
and are doing effective work along educational lines, and are raising 
the standard of merchandising, but so far have found no effective 
means of combating this undesirable element in the retail-meat trade 
which is now known to be one of the undermining factors in the 
advancement of a large and necessary industry. The deceptive 
methods generally used comprise false advertising, misleading dis- 
plays, substitution, and short weighing. 
Terms used to represent meats of highest quality occupy prominent 
places in all their advertisements. Some of those commonly used 
are "Finest Meats Market Affords," "Meats of Highest Quality," 
"Prime Native Steer Beef," "Genuine Spring Lamb," "Milk Fed 
Veal," "Young Pig Pork," etc. Coupled with these terms are very 
low prices. In many cases investigated, prices quoted for preferred 
cuts were lower than the cost of live animals of grades comparable 
with the terms used. For instance, during the progress of this study 
stores in different cities advertised "lamb legs" from 12 ^ to 17 J^ 
cents per pound. Live lambs at the time were worth from 13 to 15 
cents and their dressed carcasses were offered wholesale around 26 
cents. During the period when live hogs were costing around 14 
cents, "pork sausage" was offered freely at 2 pounds for 25 cents, and, 
in at least two cities, at 3 pounds for 25 cents. This sausage was made 
from beef suet, beef fat, tripe, and cereal. In such stores, in every 
case the meat actually being offered for sale was very inferior to that 
advertised. Common and medium grades of steer beef, cow beef, 
or bull beef were offered as prime beef; mutton of low quality or goat 
was offered for lamb; heavy carcasses from grass calves were offered 
as milk-fed veal, and cuts from stags and old sows were sold as 
young pig pork. 
To the uninitiated, misleading displays are the same as false adver- 
tising except that the product or article is used in connection with a 
product which has similar characteristics but is of lower value. 
The most common display of meats designed to mislead the public are 
center cuts of pork loins and end cuts displayed on same platter. 
The price cards "center cuts/' but end cuts are supplied. The 
same applies to loin lamb, or lamb rib chops and shoulder chops. In 
some instances picnic shoulders were found displayed and placarded 
as "picnic ham" and surrounded by genuine hams. Eelatively low 
prices are used in all such displays. Window displays of retail cuts 
of beef of good quality were found marked at unusually low prices, 
quality considered, but in the store beef of very low grade was offered, 
in most instances not worth the asking price. 
