ALBERT R. MANN LIBRARY New YorK STATE COLLEGES OF AGRICULTURE AND HOME ECONOMICS AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY EVERETT FRANKLIN PHILLIPS BEEKEEPING LIBRARY Apiary Inspection Bulletin No. 12 Che Commonwealth of Massaripwetts STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE NovEMBER, 1917 INTERPRETATION OF THE NET WEIGHT REGULATIONS FOR MARKING PACKAGES OF HONEY By BURTON N. GATES, Pu.D. BOSTON - WRIGHT & POTTER PRINTING CO., STATE PRINTERS 32 DERNE STREET 1917 Pusiiéavion’ oF THIS DocuMENT APPROVED BY THE Supervisor oF ADMINISTRATION. INTERPRETATION OF THE NET WEIGHT REGULATIONS FOR MARKING PACKAGES OF HONEY. DR. BURTON N. GATES, STATE INSPECTOR OF APIARIES, MASSACHUSETTS STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE, CO-OPERATING WITH THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. With the increased sale of honey produced in Massachusetts and sold locally, as well as the general increased use of and trade in honey, inquiries arise as to the proper “net-weighing”’ of the sections and packages. An interpretation of the regula- tions applicable to the needs of beekeepers based on the statements contained in Bulletin No. 6 of the Massachusetts Department of Weights and Measures, and approved by that department, is presented for the convenience of the beekeepers. Further and more detailed information may be had from the above department, State House, Boston. It should be borne in mind, however, that honey sold in Massachusetts, locally or otherwise, should be sold in conformity to these regulations. Interstate trade in honey is similarly governed. GENERAL STATEMENT. In general, the regulations require the plain and conspicuous marking of the net weight (or volume) of honey on all pack- ages, bottles or other containers to be sold locally where pro- duced or packed for general Massachusetts or interstate trade.” It is considered that “packages are containers [including sec- tion boxes] of definite and approximately uniform size or quantity of contents, which serve as units of quantity for the purpose of invoice or sale.” (Exception: Packages or con- 1 Approved by Massachusetts Department of Weights and Measures, Aug. 31, 1917. 2 The regulations are under the jurisdiction of the so-called ‘national net-weight law’? and Massachusetts statutes, chapter 653, Acts of 1914. 4 tainers of less than 2 ounces avoirdupois of honey.) The meas- ure may be stated in avoirdupois pounds and ounces, United States gallons, quarts, pints or fluid ounces; yet, since the usual custom of the market with respect to honey is to measure this commodity in pounds and ounces, beekeepers may well adhere to these designations. The measure expressed on the package must represent the actual quantity of honey contained, exclu- sive of the wrapper, section box, bottle or other container. The statement of the weight or measure of the package con- tents must be marked in terms of the largest unit; for example, if the package contains a pound and a fraction, the contents must be expressed in pounds and fractions thereof, or pounds and ounces, as 1} pounds, or 1.25 pounds, or 1 pound, 3 ounces. (It should not read “19 ounces;” nor should 1 pound be ex- pressed as “16 ounces.”’) In grading comb honey and in bottling or packing extracted honey it would be impossible or excessively costly to express minutely with absolute accuracy a statement of the honey in every package. The regulations, therefore, permit tolerances or reasonable variations in packages where the discrepancies are due exclusively to unavoidable errors in weighing, which may occur in packing conducted in compliance with good commercial practice. Bottles are not blown with unerring accuracy, hence a tolerance is allowed; but a run of bottles must show as much excess in measure as deficiency. Also tolerance will be allowed for changes in weight due to atmospheric conditions. (The proper tolerance will be established on the facts of each case.) Honey is subject to slight variation in the presence or absence of moisture, yet few cases are on record where honey properly handled (kept in a dry place) has materially changed. Guaranty.1 — “Guaranty should not appear on the labels or packages,” but at the option. of the parties to the sale may be furnished in writing, “attached to bill of sale, invoice, bill of lading or other schedule.” Label. — The term label, as used in connection with the ad- ministration and enforcement of net-weight regulations, applies to any printed, pictorial or other matter upon or attached to 1A full statement of particulars, processes and requirements appears on pages 25 and 26, Bulletin No. 6, Massachusetts Department of Weights and Measures. 5 any package of food (as honey) or any container thereof, sub- ject to the provisions of the act. There may be one or more labels, if desired, but the “principal label,” being more promi- nent than the others, shall contain in all cases the information specifically required by the statutes and regulations. Honey may be sold under a “trade” or “distinctive” name, in which case the principal label should bear the name and place of the beekeeper or packer. “The size of type used to declare the in- formation required by the statutes shall be not smaller than 8-point (brevier) CAPITALS, provided that in case the size of the package will not permit the use of 8-point type the size of type may be reduced proportionally.” RvuLes AND REGULATIONS. Excerpts important to beekeepers from the Rules and Regu- lations made for the enforcement of the Federal law are: — (a) Except as otherwise provided by this regulation, the quantity of the contents, in all cases of food, if in package form, must be plainly and conspicuously marked, in terms of weights, measure or numerical count, on the outside of the covering or container usually delivered to con- sumers. (c) The statement of the quantity of the contents shall be plain and conspicuous, shall not be a part of or obscured by any legend or design, and shall be so placed and in such characters as to be readily seen and clearly legible when the size of the package and the circumstances under which it is ordinarily examined by purchasers or consumers are taken into consideration. (d) If the quantity of the contents be stated by weight or measure, it shall be marked in terms of the largest unit contained in the package; for example, if the package contain a pound, or pounds, and a fraction of a pound the contents shall be expressed in terms of pounds and fractions thereof; or of pounds and ounces, and not merely in ounces. (e) Statements of weight shall be in terms of avoirdupois pounds and ounces; .. . provided, that, by like method, such statements may be in terms of aes weight. ... (f) The quantity of solids [candied honey and perhaps comb honey] shall be stated in terms of weight, and of liquids in terms of measure, except that in case of an article in respect to which there exists a definite 1 In the case of an article with respect to which there exists a definite trade custom for marking the quantity of the article in terms of fractional parts of larger units it may be so marked in accordance with the custom. Common fractions shall be reduced to their lowest terms; decimal fractions shall be preceded by zero, and shall be carried out to not more than two places. 6 trade custom otherwise, the statement may be in terms of weight or measure in accordance with such custom. [With extracted honey or “bulk,” or “chunk” honey, the custom is usually to speak of it in terms of weight.] The quantity of viscous or semisolid foods, or of mixtures of solids and liquids, may be stated either by weight or measure, but the statement shall be definite, and shall indicate whether the quantity is expressed in terms of weight or measure, as, for example, ‘‘Weight, 12 ounces,” or ‘12 ounces avoirdupois;” ‘Volume, 12 ounces,” or ‘12 fluid ounces.” . (h) (As amended by Food Inspection Decision No. 157.) The quan- tity of the contents may be stated in terms of minimum weight, minimum measure or minimum count; for example: “Minimum weight, 10 ounces,” “Minimum volume, 1 gallon,” or “Not less than 4 ounces.” But in such case the statement must approximate the actual quantity, and there shall be no tolerance below the stated minimum. (t) The following tolerances and variations from the quantity of the contents marked on the package shall be allowed: — (1) Discrepancies due exclusively to errors in weighing, measuring or counting which occur in packing conducted in compliance with good commercial practice. (2) Discrepancies due exclusively to differences in the capacity of bottles and similar containers resulting solely from unavoidable difficulties in manufacturing such bottles or containers so as to be of uniform capacity: provided, that no greater tolerance shall be allowed in case of bottles or similar containers, which because of their design cannot be made of approximate uniform capacity, than is allowed in case of bottles or similar containers which can be manufactured so as to be of approximate uniform capacity. (3) Discrepancies in weight or measure, due exclusively to differences in at- mospheric conditions in various places, and which unavoidably result from the ordinary and customary exposure of the packages to evaporation or to the absorp- tion of water. Discrepancies under classes (1) and (2) of this paragraph shall be as often above as below the marked quantity. The reasonableness of discrepancies under class (8) of this paragraph will be determined on the facts in each case. (j) A package containing 2 avoirdupois ounces of food, or less, is “small,” and shall be exempt from marking in terms of weight. An Opinion (No. 46) REGARDING THE Nret WEIGHT OF Comps Honey. Dear Sin:— The net weight of comb honey is considered to be the weight of the honey and comb exclusive of the wooden section. It is believed that the tare weight of these sections is easily ascertained, and that the filled sections can be readily sorted into approximately similar weights which may be marked in accordance with paragraph (h) of Food Inspection Decision No. 154. The individual units must be marked, and the shipping case may be if desired. The marking should be done previous to their introduction into interstate commerce. t While the regulations do not prescribe the manner of marking, as to whether a rubber stamp may be used, the law requires that the statement shall be plain and conspicuous. Stamping by means of aniline ink is frequently illegible, owing to failure to print or to the running of the ink. If such a stamp is used, care should be taken to make the statement plain and conspicuous, as required by the act. Respectfully, A. §. Mrrcwett, Secretary, Committee on Regulations, Net Weight and Volume Law, GENERAL SUGGESTIONS. Comb Honey. The appearance of a honey package has much to do with its ready sale; good appearance helps to retain customers. Section boxes should be thoroughly cleaned. In marking them with the net weight, this should be done so as not to mar their neatness. Careful grading of the sections improves the selling qualities of honey in case lots. Section honey should be car- toned for retail trade. It handles better, is cleaner, and it usually improves its attractiveness in the eye of the buyer. At all times consider cleanliness in handling and marketing. Sec- tion honey should not be exposed to the dust and flies. Extracted Honey. Equal care should be taken with honey in extracted form. Selling points to consider are: the color, flavor and body of the honey; its clarity, that is, its freedom from bits of comb and foreign particles; and the general neatness and attractiveness of the package. The label is important and should possess selling value. Most Massachusetts beekeepers recommend containers which hold customary units of measure, as 1 pound or its multiple rather than 9, 11 or even 15 ounces or their multiples. An eight-ounce or half-pound package is quite generally used, however. Suitable sizes of containers for general honey trade are suggested, as follows: glass, 8 ounce, 1 pound, 2 pounds; tin, 2, 3 and 5 pounds, half gallon (about 6 pounds), 1 gallon (about 12 pounds), and 5 gallons (the wholesale unit, which container will hold 60 pounds). Paper Containers. Paper containers are coming on to the market as a less ex- pensive package, but as yet are not satisfactory. There are several types. In order to seal these eghtly, a machine is usually necessary. S Procuring Containers. Containers are available through the bee supply houses, glass and tin manufacturers and jobbers. In selecting glass jars, straight-sided, wide-mouthed containers without a shoulder are found preferable. One of the several forms of screw caps will be found desirable. Two types of liners for the caps are found satisfactory, — wax or paraffin board, or felt and paraffin paper liners. Glass manufacturers frequently speak of the capacities of their jars in terms of fluid ounces, knowing little or nothing of their capacity for a given weight of honey. Hence, the follow- ing may be of assistance in selecting containers: — “Extracted honey when ready for market should run about 12 pounds to the gallon at normal temperature [60° to 70° Fahr.]”? Thus commercially a gallon of honey is considered to weigh 12 pounds avoirdupois.?.. For a 1-pound container, an 11 or 12 fluid ounce capacity should be secured. The latter is usually a stock size. Many pint containers are found to hold approximately 1} pounds of honey. Many quart containers are found to hold approximately 3 pounds of honey. A 22 or 23 fluid ounce container is considered suitable to hold 2 pounds of honey. It should be remembered, however, that in blowing glass containers there is a slight variation in their cubic capacity. 1 Root, A. I., and E. R., 1917, “A BC and X Y Z of Bee Culture,” p. 671. 2 Tf, however, honey is heated to 130 or 140 Fahr. to prevent granulation the density changes, and, according to Root, 1 gallon will weigh “about 11 pounds and 10 ounces.’ On this basis the average gallon can will not hold 12 pounds of honey at the temperature to which it has been raised. in order to prevent granulation. At normal temperature a honey weighing 1114 pounds to the gallon has a high water content, which is indicative of improper or incomplete ripening, and will be subject to fermentation. Cornell University Library iii