P. & D. No. 1717.
I. S. No. 15163-ls.	
Issued July 15, 1911.
United States Department of Agriculture,
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY.
NOTICE OF JUDGMENT NO. 951, FOOD AND DRUGS ACT.
ADULTERATION AND MISBRANDING OF COFFEE.
On or about February 18, 1910, the Norton & Curd Coffee Com??
pany, Louisville, Ky., shipped from the State of Kentucky into the?
State of Tennessee a quantity of a food product labeled: (Front of?
package) "Gait House Blend Coffee. Java and Mocha Blended with?
other choice selected private estate coffees. Roasted and packed by?
Norton & Curd Coffee Co., Inc. Importers, Blenders, Roasters and?
Jobbers of high grade coffees, Louisville, Ky." (Back of package)?
"Gait House Blend Sincerity Coffees. Fine flavor delightful aroma.?
A blend of high grade Java and Mocha Norton & Curd Coffee Co., Inc.,?
Louisville." A sample from this shipment was procured and exam??
ined by the Bureau of Chemistry, United States Department of Agri??
culture, and the product was found to be a blended coffee composed?
of one-half washed Maracaibo and one-half Bourbon Santos, contain??
ing no trace of either Java or Mocha. As the findings of the analyst?
and report thereon indicated that the product was adulterated and mis-?
branded within the meaning of the Food and Drugs Act of June 30,?
1906, the said Norton & Curd Coffee Company and the party from?
whom the sample was procured were afforded opportunities for hear??
ings. As it appeared after hearings held that the above shipment was?
made in violation of the act, the Secretary of Agriculture reported?
the facts to the Attorney-General with a statement of the evidence?
upon which to base a prosecution.
In due course a criminal information was filed in the District Court?
of the United States for the Western District of Kentucky against?
the said Norton & Curd Coffee Company, charging the above ship??
ment and alleging that the product so shipped was adulterated because?
Santos, Maracaibo, and other inferior coffees had been mixed and packed
100849??No. 951?11
with the said article of food so as to reduce and lower and injuriously?
affect the quality thereof, and had been substituted in whole or in?
part for Java and Mocha coffee therein. The information also alleged?
the product to be misbranded because it was labeled as above set forth,?
the words "Gait House Blend Coffee, Java and Mocha" being printed?
very conspicuously thereon, and the words "Blended with other high?
grade selected private estate coffees" being printed inconspicuously?
and so as not to be readily observed by the purchaser; the general?
effect of the label being such as to convey to purchasers the impress?
sion that the product consisted of a blend of Java and Mocha coffees,?
when in truth and in fact, the product contained a very small portion,?
if any, of Java or Mocha coffees, and consisted almost entirely of?
Santos, Maracaibo, and other coffees inferior to either Java or Mocha.
On February 25, 1911, the defendant entered a plea of guilty to the?
above information, whereupon the court imposed a fine of $25 and?
costs.
This notice is given pursuant to section 4 of the Food and Drugs Act?
of June 30, 1906.
JAMES WILSON,?
Secretary of Agriculture.
WASHINGTON, D. C, June 1?, 1911.
951