Imitation Artificial Color & Flavor, Fruit Acid Added, Trace Benzoate of Soda

[bottleopop]

Not wanting to hijack a recent thread in which this statement was mentioned, I'm asking about it in this new thread. I collect soda bottles from all over the U.S. Several of them have various statements on them like the title of this thread. There are several variations, and not all the words are always included. The one common thing about these bottles is that they are all from either California or from states nearby California. However, I also have some bottles (of the same brand) from California and nearby states that do not have any of these statements on them. Bottles from other parts of the U.S. do not have any of these statements on them. I doubt that soda companies enjoy putting any of these statements on their bottles. I am assuming that such statements are on the bottles because of a law that's specific to California. I am also assuming that the effect of this law has a beginning point and an ending point in time. So my question is: what is this law called and when did its effect on soda bottle labeling start and end?

 

[Robby Raccoon]

My Georgia NuGrape tells you right off, "Imitation grape flavor." And it's embossed into the glass.These next are all ACL:Here is one telling us what it has as its ingredients, including one that later got it reformulated because of possible dangers. The caps on my two were for Muskegon, Michigan-- they had never been opened. My Barrs' tells me its fake ingredients and additives. It's from Vermont.My Squirts tell me to look at cap. Muskegon. My Werbelow tells me the Benzoate-- it's from Wisconsin. Essentially, although plenty-- like most of my other ACLs-- do tell us what they had added in, not all do. I'm not sure why, but it isn't just California.

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

bottleopop Over the years I have tried to research various aspects of soda pop ingredients, which I thought might help date certain brands that didn't have date codes on their paper label bottles, but it got so confusing that I had to call it quits. This doesn't mean you shouldn't pursue this project, because if someone can make heads-or-tails of it, I will take my hat off to them. But if you do delve into it, be prepared for a lot of confusing information that only a rocket scientist could understand. I focused primarily on Benzoate of Soda, thinking it might help with some of the dating, but when I discovered it was developed in the early-mid 1800s, I threw in the towel. The best I can contribute at the moment is to recommend researching the 1906 Food & Drug Act, followed by checking out the Gould Amendment that went into effect around 1913. I will take a quick look around and see if I can find an answer to your question ... "What is this law called and when did its effect on soda bottle labeling start and end?" ... which I'm thinking might be found by researching the information I suggested.

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

This link contains the rocket science stuff I was talking about, but more specifically it contains a detailed account of the 1906 Food & Drug Act as well as the Gould Amendment that was attached to the Act. http://www.fda.gov/regulatoryinformation/legislation/ucm148690.htm#enactment

 

[SODAPOPBOB]

Here's the essence of the Gould Amendment ... (Which went into effect in 1913-1914) The Gould Amendment sponsored by Rep. Samuel W. Gould (D) of Maine, amended the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 by requiring that the contents of any food package had to be “plainly and conspicuously marked on the outside of the package in terms of weight, measure, or numerical count and ingredients”

 

[bottleopop]

Spirit Bear - I only collect deco, not ACLs, so I was referring to the decos, but yes, most of my Nu Grapes say imitation grape flavor or some variation no matter where they are from. The statements might be on the caps, although I don't get any deco bottles with their caps.aI searched just for "imitation" and all the bottles were from California or near it except the NuGrapes and Good Grape and a bottle called Jester Beverages. Perhaps the thing I'm noticing is a requirement to put the imitation note in embossing when in or near California (except for NuGrape, Good Grape, and Jester which have that kind of note for the flavor anyway. I even have an all-embossed Nehi with the artificial color and flavor note on it. It is from Chico, CA. Sodapopbob, thank you for that information! Those laws are all so old! I was hoping for some dates of a smaller range.