The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-01-09
THE MEAT CONTROVERSY
Statements Of Experts Are to the Effect
That II Is Kutritive.
CANNED MEATS BETTER THAN THE FRESH,
Professor Atwntcr says They Are Di-
vested OF All Bone and Gristie.
All Cattle Inspected.

Washington, January Sin view of the
statements which have gained wide csr-
culation regarding the nutritivc value of
American canned meats, tending to injure
foreign and domestic trade in these goods,
Secretary Wilson has called upon the d.
rector OF the office OF experiment stations
for a statement Of the conclusions Of the
experts GIN the matter. This statement in
part is as follows:
canned meats has been established repeat
eddy by thorough and impartial tests con-
Quoted by experts.
Some years ego DR.. w. o. Atwater,
professor Of chemistry at the Western uni
versity, began an extended investigation Of
the nutritive quality OF foods. Later this
work was continued by the department Of
agriculture with funds appropriated by
congress for the purpose, the investigation
being assigned to the office Of experiment
stat ons and Prof. Atwater's services Sc
cured as special agent In charge. These
Investigations are still in progress and q
large amount of information has been Sc
cured and the results published in the form
ef bulletins. Educational, philanthropic and
have cc-operatda in this work.
The food problem has been very carefully
studied In Europe. Koenig, Rubner, Elm
| ger, StutEer. Gautier, Fassbender. Solntzer
and other emincnt authorities have made
| such investigations In France, Germany,
| Russia and other Europesn countr es. The
| value of different foods for men engaged
| in ordinary occupations, for soldiers In
| times of peace and war, and persons In
various other conditions OF life has been
| studied. part of these invest, cations In
| America and abroad has haAi to do with
meats. fresh and preserved.
| In communication to this department,
| Prof Atwater says: IT. Is unfortunate that
| the public ut large have so little knowledge
of the nutritiye value of canned meats
They are really cooked meats Invested Of
| the inedible PORTIONS bone, gristle. etc.,
| which are found in fresh meats. In the
| cooking and canning. which is of the ma
| tune OF boiling rather than roasting, water
| Is expelled. but the amount of nutritive
| material removed Is very small indeed, so
| that a pound OF ordinary canned meat has
| on the average much more nutriDent than
| the same weight OF the fresh meat from
| which 1t is prepared.
| The removal of the bone and part OF the
| water while so little nutriment is taken
away, leaves the meat In less bulky and
more concentrated form so that pound for
| p5'ind. the canned meat has higher nutri-
| tive value than the fresh mest
large number of analyses OF fresh and
| canned meats collected at Chicago during
| the Worlds Fair and In other parts of the
| country before and since that time and by
| analysis at my direction. the proportions OF
| tbs nutrltive ingredients in the canneLi
MEATS have been found to be larger than
in the ordinary fresh meats.
| In the great stock yards in Chicago Kan
sas CITY and elsewhere, where nearly all
of thei canned neat,is put UP. all the meat
Is insnected ON tine hoof and at the time
| OF slaughtering by government experts,
| who are On the ground all the time and
without whose examination not an animal
is Killed and no shipment of meat can be
made without violation Of government reg
ulathons This is the guarantee for the
quality OF the mest. whether fresh or
canned. -4afi