The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-12-01
FORMS OF ADULTERATION.
How Various Articles of Food Are Made
Tempting to the Eye.
Food. Drugs and Drinks.I

D'f's'NS-
The most universally colored article is but
ter, and it may with great confidence be as
serted that there is hardly pound Of butter
sold at the present time in this country which
has not been doctored, mostly by the aid of q
harmless vegetable coloring matter-annatto-
in order to impart to such butter a rich golden
color. Butter naturally varies much in color
according to the season. the breed Of the cow
and mainly its food and it is but rarely the
natural butter possesses the color TO which the
public are now accustomed. The desire of those
who introduced this admixture was obviously
to make their produce appear richer aad more
enticing to the eye than nature had intended
One after the other the rest of the butter mer-
chants had to follow suit.
Milk is also generally colored by the milk
man. Here the object is plain. Wstered milk
assumes, as is well known. the tell tale sky
blue color which at once betrays that the milk
has been tempered with. To hide this the
blue milk is again artifcially provided by
means of yellow solution of color with rich
creamy appearance. To hide the original
fraud the second deception is practiced.
Mustard. especially that which has been
adulterated with flour, which in consequence
also would look sickly pale, is brought up to
the original color of genuine mustard by the
addition of turmeric, and a similar practice is
beginning to be adopted in the pepper trade.
Sausages both meat and skin, are dyed with
aniline colors for the purpose of hiding the
color of unhealthy or stale meat which may
have been used. Jams especially plum jams,
are generally dyed with aniline colors, and
sugar confectionery is hardly ever without such
artificial dye Ale is darkened with burnt
sugar as also are brapdies and whiskies.
1t must be admitted that in by far the ma
iority of these cases the color used is entirely
harmless and has no influence upon the health
of the consumer. Yet there are number of
analine colors which are positively poisonous,
even when pure. Such colors are picric acid
and it's salts, Martius yellow, safranine, meth
vien blue, dinitrocresol, and aurantia.
Others, unobjectionable in themselves be-
come poisonous owing to their mode of manu-
factnre, which leaves in the products poisonous
impurities, such as arsenic (rarely), salts of
copper, tin or zinc. The manufacturer of
sausages or jams has not the least idea whether
the colors he uses may not belong to one or
other of the above, to which doubtless many
others could be added. and even If the quantity
of color consumed by one individual may be
exceedingly small it is palpably evident that
no such manufacturer should have the right to
use such coIors. Almost every civilized coun-
try has passed legislative measures regulating
the use of colors such as those referred to, bu
England, the mother of all adulteration acts,
has done nothing, and has in this as in many
other points concerning the sale of food and
drink, remained far behind most other nations
even including the squabbling South American
Republics.