adulteration

Mixing something impure with something genuine, or an inferior article with a superior one of the same kind.

Adulteration usually refers to mixing other matter of an inferior and sometimes harmful quality with food or drink intended to be sold. As a result of adulteration, food or drink becomes impure and unfit for human consumption. The federal Food and Drug Administration prohibits transportation of adulterated foods, drugs, and cosmetics in interstate commerce, as provided under the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C.A. § 301 et seq. [1938]). State and local agencies, acting under the authority of local laws, do the same to ban the use of such impure goods within their borders.

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adulteration noun contamination, corruption, degradation, deterioration, fraudulence, infection, perversion, pollution, spuriousness
Associated concepts: drugs, food, purity of food

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See also: contaminate, defilement, detriment, dissolution

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ADULTERATION. This term denotes the act of mixing something impure with something pure, as, to mix an inferior liquor with wino; au inferior article with coffee, tea,.and the like.