The Red Cloud chief., 1881-03-17
How Food Is Adulterated.

THERE mas been so much loose Talk
about the authorizations of food that it
is important TO find out what are the
exact facts regarding them. If the
general statements of some of the
alarmists who have written on the sub
iect have a correct basis of fact on
which to rest, food ad%ulteration is prac-
ticed to SO great an extent and. is of
such n charater that what WI eat and
drink is ALWAYS liable to contain poison.
The British National Board of Trade
has lately awarded prizes for essays on
the adulteration of food and drink, and
for drafts Of laws for lis prevention.
The essay of Mr.. G. w. Wigner, of
London. received the first prize. and it
is certainly a very clear, practical and
exhaustive discussion of the subject.
From that essay. and also from the
ESSAYS which took the second and third
prizes offered, we will make a summary
of the facts.
The public will be relieved when they
hear that there is no satisfactory evil
dence presented to show -that danger
Gus authorizations are at all common
among Us. There is pienty of adultera-
ton beyond 3 question but it is almost
universally of a-sort rather to defraud
the purchaser than to injure the health
and imperil the life of the consumer.
The article sold is not wholly what it is
represented to be, bat the substances
introduced into it, or mixed with it to
cheaper its manufacture or to give more
attractiveness to its appearance, are
usually innoXious.
When the London Lancet. twenty
sis of food and drugs to detect sdul-
iteration. it found that about sixty-tive
per cen OF the samples examined were
sophisticated. Some of them, as. for
instance the mixture of -four with mus
tard. were altogether harmless, and,
indeed, demanded by the taste of the
public; and the most serious of the
others have since that day fallen into
disuse. Tea was then almost univer-
sally adulterated; the practice has en-
tirely ceased since that time. Alum
was commonly found IN bread; now it
is very seldom used in bread max
ing. Pickles were invariably con-
taminated with copper; now that
uoAut attou NSty lax.
The watering of milk, of course, goes
on sti1; but both here and in England
effective measures for l~essening the ex-
tent of the fraud have been introduced.
Imitation butter is sold in great guam
titles; bat oleomargaripe is not injuri-
Gus to health, snd theAonly necessity
with regard to it, SO far as the laws
are concerned. is to compel its sale for
what it sctually is: to prevent its being
palmed off on purchasers as genuine
butter. y e. - go.
Wines and spirits show a large pro-
portion of adultcrstion. hut generally
this has been simply dilution with wa
ter- 4 good vine is watered, an in
ferior is mixed with a superior quality.
and then toned to the color and flavor
Of tlie best by the addition of foreign
substances. such IS burnt saxar and
tannin. Molasses, water and salt are
put in porter and stout; glycerine IS
mixed With beer, and various Substances
are added to liquors and wines; but
they are almost Invariably of . sort
to justify the conclusion reached il
1872 by 3 committee Of the English
House Of commons that Sin the matter
Of sdulteration. the public were cheated
rather than poisoned" Sugar is adul-
terated with glucose; butter aad cheese
are colored with annottO; spices are
mixed with various foreign substances;
and chicory. burnt sugar. and roasted
pease sne put in coffee; but people can
eat them 81 without Ginger = life, and
generally without direct 1anger TO