The Portland daily press., 1888-04-24
DANGEROUS FOOD ADuLTERA-
TION.
The Fraudulent use of Alum and
Lime in Cheap Baking Powders.

| If consumersSprefer to buy an adulterated
| article of food because it can be had at a
| lower price they undoubtedly have the right
| to do so, provided the adulterants are not Of
a character injurious to health. If such ar
ticles are not falsely sold as pure and the
customer is not deceived as to their real
| character, the transaction is not Legitimate
But the great danger in the traffic in adul-
| terated food arises from the deception that
| is practiced by manufacturers usually class
| ing such goods as pure. This is almost in
| variably done when the adulterant is one
| that is injurious to health. For instance,
manufacturers of alum and lime baking
| powders not only fail to inform the public
| of the real character of their goods, but care
| fully conceal the fact that they are made
from these poisonous articles Most of these
manufacturers also claim that their articles
are pure and wholesome, while some go still
further and proclaim boldly that they are
| cream of tartar goods, or even the genuine
| Royal Baking Powder itself. No consumer
| will buy alum baking powders knowingly,
| for it is well understood that they are detri-
| mental to health. The sale of lime and
alum baking powders as pure and whole
some articles is, therefore, criminal. and it is
satisfactory to notice that several persons
engaged in such sale have already been
brought to justice in the courts.
The official analysts have recently been
active in the pursuit of these dishonest
articles. The baking powders of several
States have been carefully and critically
examined The officials are surprised
at the large amount of lime and alum goods
found. 1t is suggestive fact that no baking
powder except the Royal has been found
without either lime or alum and many con-
tain BOTH Dr. Prices baking powder has
been found to contain nearly u per cent. OF
lime; Cleveland's II per cent. of impurities;
the phosphate powders over II per cent. OF
lime.
The chief service of lime is to add weight
1t is true that lime, when subjected to heat,
gives off a certain amount of carbonic acid
gas, but quicklime is left-a caustic OF most
powerful nature. A small quantity OF dry
lime upon the tongue, or in the eye, pro-
duces painful effects; how much more seri-
GUS must these effects be on the delicate
membranes of the stomach, intestines and
kidneys, more particularly of infants and
children, and especially when the lime is
taken into the system day after day, and
with almost every meal. This is said by
physicians to be one of the causes of indi-
gestion, dyspepsia, and those painful dis
eases of the kidneys now so prevalent.
Adulteration with lime is quite as much to
be dreaded as with alum, which has hereto
fore received the most emphatic condemna-
ton from food analysts, physicians and
chemists, for the reason that, while alum
NAV be- partially dissolved by the heat of
baking is is impossible to destroy or change
the nature of the lime so that the entire
amount in the baking powder passes, with
all its injurious properties into the stomach.
The large profits from the manufacture of
lime and alum baking powders has placed
many of them in the market. They are to
be found in the stock of every retail DEALER,
and are urged upon customers calling Tor
baking powders upon all occasions. because
of their well-known detrimental character IL
is desirable that prompt means he taken 10
suppress their manufacture.
Pure baking powders are one OF the chleI
aids to the cook in preparing perfect and
wholesome food. While those are to be OBJ