REPORT OF DR. T. J. BRYAN, STATE ANALYST.

Hon. A. H. Jones, State Food Commissioner, Chicago, Ill.:

DEAR SIR-I have the honor to submit to you the following report indicating briefly the work done by the State Analyst and his assistants during the year 1908.

Miss Lucy Doggett analyzed most of the stock foods this year and has submitted a special report to you on that subject. Mr. A. L. Nehls has had charge of the laboratory when I was otherwise engaged in the work of the department. His work of analysis has included all classes of foods. Mr. A. N. Bennett has examined the larger number of the samples of milk. Mr. B. C. Gardner analyzed most of the butters and butter substitutes. Mr. Wm. Brinsmaid was appointed in March of this year. He has shown himself a careful and persistent worker. About one month of his time has been spent in investigating methods for the determination of citral in extracts.

About 6,000 samples have been examined this year in the laboratory. Of these five or six hundred were samples brought in by consumers who suspected adulteration, or were samples tested to secure information for the department. The official samples sent to the laboratory were analyzed by the different chemists as follows:

The work of the laboratory was necessarily curtailed by the changes made while enlarging the laboratory. The cost of the enlargement was about $650.00, and the laboratory is now well equipped for all the work assigned to this commission by law. I would suggest in this connection that as soon as the number of license fees for concentrated commercial feed stuffs warrant such action, a special chemist be appointed for such work.

The work of analysis is being more thoroughly done all the time. New methods of detecting adulteration are being adopted as rapidly as they are found and can be tested. The number of quantitative determinations is necessarily constantly increasing.

In addition to the work of analysis and direction of the work in the laboratory and general office work the State Analyst is called upon for information with reference to scientific and practical matters connected with the enforcement of the food law. These calls upon him are so irregular and frequent that the time at his disposal for analytical work is necessarily limited. His attendance at conventions and matters there discussed will be referred to later in this report.

The samples found by analysis to be illegal and which were taken officially are reported in detail in tables which follow. In all cases the name and address of the dealer is given.

NAME OF THE MANUFACTURER.

The name and address of the manufacturer or producer is given in most cases. This information is not given in the case of milk, cream, butter, renovated butter, oleomargarine, meat and meat products here reported, except that in some cases the dealer was also the producer. Our last report was criticised because the name and address of the manufacturer was not given in every case. The criticism was unjust. It is obviously impossible to know the true manufacturer in every case if the goods are sold in bulk. The same container is often filled and refilled by the retailer whether the goods are from the same manufacturer or not. In fact new goods from one manufacturer are mixed with old goods purchased from another. The retailer is then the manufacturer of the mixture. This department cannot hold the manufacturer liable after the original package is opened, and no guarantee will protect the retailer from prosecution if the food is adulterated and sold from a broken package.

CONDITION OF THE MARKET.

The extent of the adulteration and misbranding of foods as compared with the findings of this department for previous years cannot fairly be expressed in percentages. The conditions rendering a food adulterated or misbranded have changed, for the law has been changed. Many foods that were legal under the old law are adulterated or misbranded under the new law. A comparison by percentages would therefore fail to show the progress made in protecting the consumer against adulteration and misbranding. For this reason such a comparison by percentages is omitted from this report. Moreover, new inspectors not having as great experience as those long connected with the department are likely to send in more legal samples than one who is more experienced. This would tend to make the comparison more favorable than it should be.

I have felt that the fairest report would therefore be one stating merely the conditions as shown by the samples examined.

DISCUSSION OF TABLES.

Following the same method as last year, I have written remarks in connection with each of the tables. These remarks include in some in

stances a discussion of similar products to those found in the table The tables and remarks are arranged as in the following list which also gives the number of samples found to be legal and illegal:

365

293

Concentrated commercial feed stuffs.

Following the tables is a discussion of the following topics:

Confections.

Eggs.

Preservatives and colors.

The label.

Resolutions adopted at Mackinac.

Oysters.

Opinion of Illinois food law.

Proposed food law.

BAKING POWDER.

During the past year 251 samples of baking powder were examined. One hundred and twenty-nine of these were illegal, fifty-one of which were below the legal requirement in available carbon dioxide gas. Several samples contained less than five per cent available gas and one sample only 1.45 per cent. These are worse than useless as baking powder for the amount that must necessarily be used to effect a proper leavening, leaves an amount of medicinal substances in the finished food that is very objectionable. The following substances are produced by the interaction of the ingredients of baking powder during cooking. Cream of tartar baking powder produces sodium potassium tartrate (Rochelle salt.) Alum baking powders produce (Aluminum hydroxide) (Sulphate or sodium), (Glauber's Salt), or (Sulphate of potassium); phosphate baking powders; (Phosphate of calcium), (Phosphate of soda.)

Every one of these substances has medicinal properties and its addition to a food, either directly or indirectly, cannot render the food more wholesome as claimed in the advertisement of one of the cream of tartar baking powders. Such an advertisement is false and misleading.

INGREDIENTS NAMED ON LABEL

It is partly because of the objectionable character of these substances formed that the law requires that the common name of all the ingredients be stated on the label. This statement enables the purchaser to choose between the different powders, if he has any choice.

MANUFACTURERS' INACTIVE.

The manufacturer has had plenty of time to comply with the provisions of the law requiring the ingredients to be stated on the label. The law has been in force eighteen months, and all the baking powders sold before July 1, 1907, should have been removed from the market before now. They are a perishable commodity and unless kept under exceptionally favorable circumstances will in such a length of time deteriorate to such an extent as to be below standard. Nevertheless, many of the baking powders on the market are not properly branded. I would recommend that the parties selling these goods be vigorously prosecuted.

This department holds that the term alum is the common name that should be used to designate either sodium or potassium alum or mixtures of aluminum sulphate and sodium or potassium sulphate or any other aluminum compound.

A retailer who holds a perishable article in stock for an unreasonable time ought to make no complaint of injustice if prosecuted for selling such goods which have become illegal through deterioration. Baking powder is a perishable article therefore the retailer should observe these precautions in buying baking powder:

1. Do not buy more than a six months' supply.

2. Sell old stock first.

3.

Do not put new stock in front of old stock. 4. Keep the baking powder in a dry place.

5. Ask the manufacturer or wholesaler to replace with new goods all baking powder that is very old or that is caked in the can. Reputable manufacturers would much rather replace such goods than be subject to prosecution.

6. Get a guarantee from the firm selling you the goods. The guarantor must reside in the State for the guarantee to afford you protection under the State law.

7. See that the label bears the common names of the ingredients.

The ingredients found in most commercial baking powders may be listed as follows:

The law requires that baking powder shall contain not less than ten per cent available carbon dioxide. The available carbon dioxide is the amount of that gas which is set free when water is added to the powder and the whole heated. It is quite evident that the value of the baking

*See Bulletin No. 5 in this report.