Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1888-03-23
DANGEROUS FOOD ADUL-
TERATION.
The Fraudulent use Of Alum
and Lime in Cheap
Baking Powders.

ne TauQuIenl use Oh AluIil
and Lime in Cheap
Baking Powders.
If consumers prefer to buy an adul-
terated article of food because it can
be had at lower price they undonb--
edly have the right to do SO, provided
the alu..erGnts are not Of characte T
Injurious to health If such articles
are not falsely sold as pure and thu
customer is not deceived as to their
real character, the transaction is not
illegi innate.
But the great danger 10 the traffic
10 adulterated food arises from the
deception that is practiced by manu-
facturers usually CHASING such goods
as pure. This is almost Invariably
done when the sduilerant is one that
is injurious TO health For Instance,
manufacturers OF alum and lime b2k-
ing powders not only fail to Inform
toe public OF the real character OF
their goods, but carefully conceal the
fact that they are made from these
poisonous articles Most OF these
manufacturers also claim that their
articles are pure aad wholesome, while
some go still further aud proclaim
boldly that they are cream OF tartar
go1ds. or even the genuine Royal
Baking Powder itself No consumer
will bus alum baking powders kaow-
inglv, for iE well understood that theV
are detrimental TO health. The sale
of lime aud alum baking powders as
pure and wholesale articles is, there
fo:e. criminal, and Il is satisfactory 10
notice that several persons engaged
in such sale have already been
brought TO Justice in the courts.
The official analysts have recently
been active 10 the pursuits of these
dishonest articles. The baking pow
ders of several States have been care
fully and critically examined. The
officials are surprised at the large
amount of lime and alum goods found.
II is suggestive fact that no baking
powder except the Royal has been
found without either lime or alum and
many contain both. Dr.. Prices bak
ing powder has been found to contain
nearly - per cent of lime; ;Clevelsnd's
III per cent of impurities; the phos-
phate powders over l2 per cent OF
lime.
The chief service of lime is to add
weight. Il is true that lime, when
subjected to heat gives of certain
amount Of car5onic acid gas, but a
quick!ima is left-a caustic o. most
powerfu! nature. A small quantity
of dry lime upon the tongue, or in the
eye, produces painful effects; how
much more serious must these effects
be on tee delicate membranes of the
stomach, Intestine and kidneys. more
particularly Of infant and children, and
especially when the lime is taken in
to the system day after day, and with
almost every meal This is said by
ply sicians to be one of the causes OF
Indigestion. dyspepsia, end those
painful diseases Of The kidneys n9T 80
prevalent.
AGulteratioa with lime is quito as
much t. b3 dreaded as with alum.
which has heretofore received the
most emphatic coadsmnation from
food analysts, physicians and cEem-
lists, for the reason that, while slam
may be partially dissolved by the
heat Of baking il is impossible TO de.
atroy or change the nature OF the lime
so that the entire amount ia the bak-
ing powder passes, wi.h al; It's iuJuci-
Gus properties. into the stomach
The large profits from the manu-
facture Of lia5 aad alum bakiog pDw.
ders has placed many Of them in the
mari ket They ere TO DE found II tha
stock Of almost every retail dealer,
and are urged upon customers calling
for baking powters upon all occasions.
Because OF their well known dctri-
mental character it is desirable that
prompt means he taken to suppress
their manu- 'ac ture.
Pure baking powders are one OF the
chief aids to the cook Ia preparing
perfect and wholesome food. w bile
those are 20 be obtained of we'll estab.
lished reputation. like the Royal, Of
whose purity there has never been q
question, it is proper to avoid all
others.