The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-27
FOOD ADULTERATIoN.


ture It becomes OF interest to note briefly
the results Of the Federal senate's in
vestigation into the matter of food adulter-
alton through the medium of its Commit
tee on Manufactures. This committee has
for the past six months been gathering
facts respecting this matter. to be sub
mitted to the Senate at the approaching
session Of Congress; and it IS possible that
national legislation upon the subject will
be passed.
In connection with the steed bin, there
has been an attack made upon alum bak-
ing powders, and a corresponding lauda-
ton Of cream of tartar baking powders.
Nothing has been produced to show that
the so-called alum powders are more harm
full than the others, but the Federal Sen
ates Investigation has developed the fact
thai in one instance the cream Of tar
tar" used in the manufacture of a baking
powder was composed of 76 per cent. of
gypsum Now gypsum Is, in common par
lance. land plaster and chemically speak
ing it Is the hydrous sulphate of lime.
When calcined II forms plaster OF paris,
such as is put upon walls. In another
case the cream of tartar was nothing
more nor less than burnt alum. The con-
clusion 10 be drawn from the Senate's
committees Investigations, it seems. is
that there is more danger from articles
masquerading than there is from articles
which so out under their real names, even
though the latter, consumed in large guam
titles, may possibly be deleterious to
health.
Baking powder however, Is merely one
item of food which may be aduterated,
and which appears to be adulterated in
much smaller proportion than many other
articles. Roasted cocoanut shells are said
to be favorite adulterant for ground cof-
fee and spices. The Senate committee
found samples of ground allspice and
cloves which contained from 50 to 80 per
cent. of ground roasted cocoanut shell.
Ground pepper is made from "a dozen diff
ferent ingredients. including bucbwheat
-four rice flour, rice hulls rosn, starch.
sawdust, sand, etc OF three samples of
mixed whole spices examined by a chem
list for the Senate committee, one con-
sisted of 20 per cent. spices and so per
cent. adulteration. The same chemist
found sample of pure" mustard 10 con-
sist of y per cent. of mustard and IS per
cent. of foreign material. Many samples
of cider vinegar" were found to contain
not one drop of apple juice. Preserves
and jelles were found to be COM
pounded from almost everything else than
the fruits after which they were named
The base of most of the jellies was found
to be starch paste, and lhe base of jams
to be turnip both artihcially colored and
favored. In several instances the "des-
sicated Goldfish" examined were ascer,
tanned to contain no Goldfish at all, but the
flesh OF catfish.
The chemists have found the use of pre-
servatives to be very common. Samples
OF catsup contained large quantities of
| ssIlcylic acid as a preservative and methyl
orange as a colOring matter. Some sam
pies of Sweet cider" contained as much
as AZ grains of salicylic acid to the pint
In addition to this acid there are used
borax, boraic acid baking soda, formalin
| Qormaldehyde), saltpetre and other chem
icals.
| 1t is evident from the foregoing that food
| adulteration is very common. II is pos
sibly true that many of the filters" used
| to swell the bulk of the articles sold are
not harmful in themselves; but even If
| they are not harmful, their use is fraudu-
| lent and reprehensible. Meantime 1t should
| be borne in mind that there are honest
| manufacturers and dealers, who will moi
| stoop to fraud and deceit and who sell
their goods upon their merits and as being
| precisely what they are. The prices oil
| such articles may be somewhat higher
than those sold by inscriptions persons
| But the guaranty of excellence carried by
the name Of a reputable manufacturer oil
dealer should more than compensate for
little extra charge Adulteration, as
| matter of fact, comes largely in respons'
10 the popular demand for large bulk fol
little money. If purchasers would insis
upon duality before quantity adulteratiol
would not be nearly so popular