Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-05-04
FOOD ADULTERAT|ON,
Ninety Per Cent Of What We Eat
and Drink Spurious
MILK AND BUTTER FRAUDS
esrg Probably Moro Abused Than
qsrN Probably Moro Abused Than
EIy Other Article.
nv LITTLE PURE BEER MADE.
very Little Pure Jeily-Vermont
staple Sugar Manufactured I'm
Ie-,a-MoIasscs and Flour Moulded
Into Berries and Sold rs Coffee

CHICAGO. May 3.-According 20 DIT. II.
y. Wiley. chief chemist of the United
states Department Of Agriculture. who
was called 10 the stand to-day to testify
before the Senatorial Pure Food Investi-
eating Committee. now in session here
fully 90 per cent of the articles of food
and drink manufactured and used in TINS
country are frauds All kinds OF dairy
products. he said. as well rs nearly every
variety Of condiments. including Euro
pean coffee in the berry, were aouI'eF-
atcd.
DIT. Wiley was the first witness before
the committee. which opened It's hrst ses-
sion to-day at the Grand Pacific Hotel.
Senator William J.. Mason was the only
member present. Senator Harris will not
arrive Till tomorrow, and Senator Wet
more is ill.
I'm milk. according TO DR.. Wiley's tes-
,,,onv. the most common practice is the
abstraction Of the fatty substance in
taking away the cream. a common prac-
tice a,2ong the dealers, he said. was
adul.erat;on with water, and in addition
,o this. lreseryatives are used TO no
small extent TO prevent the liquid from
eOurng. ,,
BUTTER.
In butter. the common way Of defraud-
ing the public according TO the tesu-
monv was dissatisfaction Of other fats,
both animal and vegetable. for the natu-
raj Fat OF the milk. Both cottonseed-oil
and high grades Of lard were employed
in this work Honey, DR.. Wiley said, was
nrobably a morc-abused article in the
1lne Of adulteration than any other. The
principal method Of adulterating lard is
The mixing Of vegetable oils with the
natural Fat a. the hog. Fats and oils,
DE said instead of being injurious 10
health are wholesome TO a great degree.
IAN Kinds of pure oils. he said were heat
INK % the system, as well as great aids
10 digestion.
Probably among all the foods mentioned
ly Dr. Wiley, none attracted greater
attention than the adulteration of coffee,
even I'm the berry. According TO the wit
ness in recent examinations he had found
molasses and flour moulded into berries.
colored. mixed with the genuine, and sold
as high-grade coffee.
BEER.
According TO Or. Wiley. there is very
little pure beer made III TINS country.
Fully 20 per cent. of the beer which is
sold in this country is made of some other
article than malt
In regard TO the extensive use OF glucose,
the witness said that il was not
Objectionable for food purposes, if used in
moderation.
Very little pure jelly is manufactured,
according 10 the witness. There also is a
great amount Of adulteration in the manu-
faoture of vinegar.
MAPLE SUGAR.
Or. Wiley said that Vermont maple
sugar was manufactured in Davenport.
ia. out of brown sugar and an extract
of hickory bark and was not deleterious.
in fact ne said. it was impossible for
chemists TO distinguish the two. The
sugar was the same, and the natural
ether that gave the maple sugar its flavor
and distinctive quality was too Infinite
sinai 10 be detected in an analysis. The
extract Of hickory was about the same as
the maple flavor.
Spices were adulterated, and peanut
shells were palmed Off as ground cinna-
TnOn.