Laws prohibiting the Adulteration of Bread and Bread Flour.
The adulteration of bread and bread flour is forbidden by law, as is obvious from the following acts of parliament:
“No person shall put into any corn,[[9]] meal, or flour, which shall be ground, dressed, bolted, or manufactured for sale, any ingredient or mixture whatsoever, whereby the same may be adulterated, or shall sell any flour of one sort of grain as for the flour of another, but shall only sell the real genuine meal or flour of the grain the same shall import to be, under the penalty of five pounds for every such offence.”
[9]. 31 Geo. 2. c. 29. p. 883.
“If any person have cause to suspect that any miller[[10]] who grinds, dresses, or bolts any grain for toll or reward, or manufactures any flour for sale, or that any baker mixes up with his flour any mixture or ingredient, not the genuine produce of the grain, so that the purity of the meal in any wise be adulterated, and reports the same on oath to a magistrate, then, in that case, such magistrate, or a peace-officer duly authorized by him, shall enter the premises of such suspected person, and search or examine whether such mixture or ingredient, not the genuine produce of the grain, is in the possession of such miller, mealman, or baker; and such meal and flour as shall be deemed to have been adulterated may be seized, together with the base mixtures; and if seized by a peace-officer, it is to be carried before a magistrate, but if seized by the magistrate, he may immediately dispose of it as he shall think fit. And the person on whose premises such mixture or ingredient shall be found, and adjudged to be intended to be used in adulterating the flour, shall forfeit a sum not exceeding ten pounds, and have his name, offence, and place of abode published in some newspaper that is printed or circulated near his place of abode, unless he shall make it appear, to the satisfaction of the magistrate, that the same was not lodged there with the intention of adulterating the flour, but for some other lawful purpose.”
[10]. 31 Geo. 2. c. 29. p. 888.
“That if any person shall wilfully obstruct[[11]] or hinder any search being made for such mixtures as are designed to adulterate the meal or flour, or shall oppose their being carried away, such person shall forfeit a sum not exceeding five pounds, nor less than forty shillings.”
[11]. 31 Geo. 2. c. 29. p. 889.
“And that the good design of these regulations may be more effectually accomplished, it shall be lawful for the several wardmote[[12]] inquests of the city of London, or any magistrate[[13]] or peace-officer authorized by a warrant from such magistrate, without the jurisdiction of the city of London, to enter into any bake-house or shop, at all seasonable times, to search for and weigh all the bread therein; and if any of the loaves are found wanting in the goodness of the stuff of which they should be made, or deficient in the due baking or working thereof, or shall be wanting in the weight, or shall not be truly marked, such persons may seize such bread; and, if a magistrate is not present, it shall be taken before one, who may dispose of it as he shall think fit.”
[12]. 37 Geo. 3. c. 98. sec. 22.
[13]. 31 Geo. 2. c. 29. p. 890.
“That if any person shall wilfully[[14]] obstruct or hinder any such search, or prevent the carrying the same away, he shall, on conviction before a magistrate, be fined a sum not exceeding five pounds, nor less than twenty shillings.”
[14]. 31 Geo. 2. c. 29. p. 890.
“That it shall be lawful for any magistrate[[15]], or peace-officer, authorised by a warrant, and accompanied by one or more master bakers, to enter, at seasonable times, any shop or bake-house within the city of London, or within ten miles of the Royal Exchange, to search and examine whether any alum, or other ingredients, shall have been mixed up with, or put into, any meal, flour, dough, or bread, in the possession of any such baker, and also to search for alum, or any other ingredients, which may be intended to be used for the purpose of adulterating the bread; and if, on enquiry, they find any alum, or other unlawful ingredients, or that any flour, meal, dough, or bread, contains any preparation of alum, such shall be immediately seized, and carried before some magistrate within whose jurisdiction the baker lives, and who shall dispose of it as he shall think fit. And if the magistrate is satisfied that such pernicious ingredients were put into the bread with the consent or privity of the baker, or if he acknowledges it himself, or one or two credible witnesses certify, on oath, that they know he uses alum, such baker shall forfeit any sum of money not exceeding twenty pounds, or be committed to, and kept at hard labour in, the house of correction, or some other prison, for six calendar months, unless he can prove, to the satisfaction of the magistrate, that the alum, or other ingredients, were designed for some lawful purpose. And further, the magistrate is expressly required to cause the offender’s name, place of abode, and offence, to be published in some newspaper which shall be printed or published in or near the city of London, or the liberties thereof.”
[15]. 38 Geo. 3. c. 55. sec. 14 and 15.
“That if any person or persons shall wilfully obstruct[[16]] or hinder such search or seizure, as above described, he or they shall, for every offence, forfeit and pay any sum not exceeding ten pounds, nor less than five, at the discretion of the magistrate before whom the offender or the offenders shall be convicted.”
[16]. 38 Geo. 3. c. 55. sec. 16.
“That where any baker[[17]] shall make a complaint before a magistrate, and make it appear that any offence he was charged with, and paid the penalty of, was occasioned by the wilful neglect or default of his journeyman, or other servant, the magistrate shall issue his warrant for apprehending the party, and if, on examining into the matter, it appears that such was the case, such journeyman, or other servant, shall be directed immediately to pay to his master a reasonable recompence in money, and, on non-payment thereof, he shall be committed to the house of correction, or some other prison, and kept to hard labour, for any time not exceeding one calendar month, unless payment be sooner made.”
[17]. 31 Geo. 2. c. 29. p. 891. and 38 Geo. 3. c. 55. sec. 17.
“And, for the better and more easy recovery of the several penalties[[18]] incurred by disobedience to the several acts, all offences may be heard and determined in a summary way, by the Lord Mayor, or any other magistrate or magistrates, within their several jurisdictions, who shall summon the offenders before them, and if they do not appear, or offer a reasonable excuse, they may cause them to be apprehended; and when the matter is enquired into, and the party convicted, if he does not pay the penalty within twenty-four hours, such magistrate shall issue a warrant of distress and sale on the goods of the offender; and, should the goods of the party be removed into another jurisdiction, the magistrate thereof is to back the warrant, and the distress, if not redeemed within five days, is to be appraised and sold, and all expences thereby incurred are to be deducted thereout. And if the offender is possessed of no goods or chattels that can be seized, then he shall be committed to the house of correction, or some other prison, for one calendar month, unless payment be sooner made.”
[18]. 31 Geo. 2. c. 29. p. 892. and 38 Geo. 3. c. 55. sec. 19.
“That if information[[19]], on oath, is offered to any magistrate, that any one within his jurisdiction is likely to offer or give material evidence in behalf of the prosecutor of any offender, and refuses voluntarily to come forward, such magistrate shall issue a summons to cause him to appear, and if he still refuses, to grant a warrant to compel his attendance, and then if he refuses to be examined, he may be committed to some public prison for fourteen days.”
[19]. 31 Geo. 2. c. 29. p. 894.
That no certiorari[[20]], letters of advocation, or of suspension, shall be granted, to remove any conviction or other proceedings had therein; but if any person is punished, and he thinks himself aggrieved by the judgment of a magistrate, he may appeal to the next quarter sessions, and, in such case, the execution of the judgment shall be suspended, upon his entering into a recognisance, with two sufficient sureties, in double the sum such person shall be adjudged to forfeit, to prosecute the appeal, and abide the determination of the justices at the said quarter sessions; and if he makes good his appeal, he shall be discharged the conviction, and reasonable costs awarded him, which shall be paid by the person who lodged the information.”
[20]. 31 Geo. 2. c. 29. p. 895.
“That no person shall be convicted[[21]] of any offence under these acts, unless the prosecution shall be commenced against him within fourteen days after the offence is committed, except in cases of perjury[[22]]; and no person who shall be prosecuted to conviction for any offence done or committed against these acts, shall be liable to be prosecuted for the same offence under any other law.”
[21]. 37 Geo. 3. c. 98. sec. 28.
[22]. 38 Geo 3. c. 55. sec. 20.
“That all penalties, when recovered in pursuance of these regulations, shall be disposed of in the manner following: that is to say, one[[23]] moiety thereof to be paid to the informer, and the other moiety to the poor of the parish where such offence shall be committed; and, in case there is no informer, then the whole sum shall be given to the poor of the parish, or applied in such a way as the magistrate, in his discretion, shall think fit.”
[23]. 31 Geo. 2. c. 29. p. 897.