The Company was responsible for maintaining standards for the purity of spices and for the setting of certain weights and measures. Its members included London's pharmacists, who separated into the Society of Apothecaries in 1617. Today, the Grocers' Company exists as a charitable and ceremonial institution. In the order of precedence for Livery Companies, the Grocers' Company ranks second, after only the Mercers' Company, making it one of the "Great Twelve City Livery Companies". The Company's motto is God Grant Grace.