The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-05-23
Food AdulteratiOn.


Last January a convention, called
the national pure food conventions"
was held in Washington, to urge upon
congress law making the prevention
and punishment of the adulteration
of foods and medicines a part of
the work of the national govern
ment, so far as it has jurisdic-
ton. A bill comprehending this pur-
pose is pending in congress, but it is
feared that it will fail for want of con-
sideration. 1t was shown by the con-
vention that a vast amount of sickness
and many deaths result from the use
of impure food and drugs. Hundreds
of instances are given of the sale of
articles of food which are not what
they purport to be, and many of the
articles contain elements that are det-
rimental to health And then there is
the money fraud involved in the sale
of such articles. Not long ago it was
demonstrated in Rutland that there
were dealers in that town who were
selling for pure corn-meal an article
which possessed less than three-fourths
of the nutriment of the genuine article.
The Telegram said of the cheat: "They
purchase at starch mills that portion of
corn remaining after the starch has
been extracted and mix it with meal
manufactured of whole grain, selling
the compound for pure meal. This
product of starch mills can be bought
at less than ne-half the cost of corn,
hence those fraudulent dealers are
enabled to undersell their competitors.
The difference in price, however, is so
creased in like proportion with the
actual value of the grain, but is only
sufficient to induce stock-owners to
purchase it. The injurious effects of
this fall directly upon the animal con-
Stunning it, because his answer is ig-
norant of the shrinkage of nutritious
properties caused by the dishonesty of
the dealer. Indirectly the loss falls
upon the purchasers, because the stock
fed upon this food will not do so much
work in given time nor live to work
so many years as the animal that is
properly fed"
The american Grocer, in an article
urging the passage of the food adulter-
alton bill by congress, declares that the
salad oil served in the restaurant of
the house of Representatives is bogus
compound. An expert examination of
the stuff developed the fact that it was
cotton-seed oil, pure and simple. The
Grocer thinks that this ought to be suf-
ficient evidence to members of con-
gress of the necessity of such law as
that mentioned. Because many of the
bogus articles may contain no ingre-
dent that is injurious to health does
not make them less a fraud upon the
public. 1t may not be necessary to
pass laws to prohibit their manufac-
ture, but the public should be pro-
tected from them to the extent of hav-
ing the bogus articles put upon the
market for what they are. If bogus
lard is better than real lard the manu-
facturers can not object to selling it for
what it is. If cotton-seed oil is better
than olive oil, or as good Gas some of
the manufacturers claim, why should
it not stand and be sold on its merits?
The suggestion that it should be made
a penitentiary offence to adulterate
food, or sell any article of food for
what it is not, may seem a trifle harsh,
but how much better morally is this
class of public enemies than those who
commit the crimes of theft, embezzle-
ment or burglary? In fact they may
prove the greater enemies if lives are
sacrificed by the use of foods or medi-
cines, the virtue of which has been i'm
paired or destroyed by adulteration.
If people choose to buy adulterated
food, that is their lookout, provided it
is branded and sold for precisely what
it is, but people who want only pure
food are entitled to the fullest protec-
ton.
Enmland n;,4urhnt