18912. Misbranding of   crackers.    IT.    S.   v.    Standard   Biscuit    Co.    Plea   of
guilty. Fine, 840. (F. & D. No. 26642. I. S. Nos. 023641, 023642. 023643. 
023644, 023650, 023701.)
Samples of packaged crackers from the shipments herein described having 
been found to contain less than the weight declared on the label, the Secretary 
of Agriculture reported the matter to the United States attorney for the South- 
ern District of Iowa.
On October 14, 1931, the United States attorney filed in the District Court 
of the United States for the district aforesaid an information against the 
Standard Biscuit Co., a corporation, Des Moines, Iowa, alleging shipment by 
said company, in violation of the food and drugs act as amended, from the 
State of Iowa into the State of Colorado, in part on or about March 29, 1930, 
and in part on or about April 14, 1930, of quantities of crackers which were 
misbranded. The articles were labeled in part, variously: (Packages) "A 
So-tast-ee Product * * * Honey Grahams Standard Biscuit Company U. 
S. A. Net Weight 2 Lbs.;" " Two Pounds Salted Tops Certified Butter-Sodas 
So-TasT-ee Products;" "A So-tast-ee Product * * * S. B. C. Sodas Standard 
Biscuit Company Des Moines, Iowa Net Weight 2 Lbs.;" " S. B. C. Sodas 
* * * A So-tast-ee Product Standard Biscuit Company Des Moines, Iowa 
[stamped] 3 Pounds Plain."
It was alleged in the information that the articles were misbranded in that 
the statements, "Net Weight 2 Lbs.," "Two Pounds," or "3 Pounds," borne 
on the labels of the various packages, were false and misleading in that, the 
said statements represented that the packages contained 2 pounds or 3 pounds, 
as the case might be, of the said articles; and for the further reason that 
they were labeled as aforesaid so as to deceive and mislead the purchaser 
into the belief that the said packages contained 2 pounds or 3 pounds, as 
the case might be, of the articles; whereas the said packages did not contain 
the amount so represented, but did* contain a less amount. Misbranding was 
alleged for the further reason that the articles were food in package form 
and the quantity of the contents was not plainly and conspicuously marked 
on the outside of the packages.
On November 2, 1931, a plea of guilty to the information was entered on 
behalf of the defendant company, and the court imposed a fine of $40.
ABTHTTB M. HYDE, Secretary of Agriculture.