New-York tribune., 1901-03-24
ADULTERATION OF FOOD.
CHEAPNEss. NOT QUALITY. THE PRO
DUCER'S AIM.
GLucosE CONFECTIONERY HURTS THE TEETH
THE INDIFFERENT PUBLIC.
From The Hospital Londonl.

From The Hospital U-ondonl.
We have received long letter the subject
Of glucose from a Liverpool manufacturer whose
walk in life is the making OF boiled cunfeC-
( tionery. including toffee. bottled sweets.
wrapped sweets and creams. He Is a perfectly
candid person. and, although n has not word
10 say IN favor Of glucose, and indeed condemns
il all around. he points out what afraid
l. strictly true in some branches OF rnanufact-
. urinS industry, VIZ. that no such considerations
are likely t. stand in the way q its employ
long Il Is cheaper than the sugar In
place of which II is used In this branch of
trade" h says. profits cut very hne. and
therefore cheapness ~ the raw material is Il
Jhc very hrst importance. As a mauufa' turrr-
my point of view was strictly commercial one.
that - L. say that the quality "t thr goods "a
foadstud was imTnateriaL The selling qualitS
was everything. and so long the goods looked
- tty and were packed nicely into the boxes.
Ue cared little enough how they tasted and uot
"A i"t whether they "ere wholesome or uaWholr-
some"
! The used gluCosc-no tie sort that th- brew
use. but the American kind. n too much 81
this stuff Is us-l the goods produced are more
SUSIE pti'le 70 moisture tHdn would Otherwise
ue Tho case. hat WnvT- thu goods are sold
wrapped In "aNet paper" nat arr called
. wrapped guadr'-II appears mat glucose can
h. employed 10 the extent of ~ Itr cent more.
In making jam also glucose seems 10 ae largely
used. AMI THE peculiar thickness of factory
made jam aS compared with re homemade ar
+ ticle is dG" 20 its aImiXture" Now this candid
. manufacture SAYS Tnany things against glucose
"tHout d"uit n SAYS an "LtIair'us H"hu
upon the public for its best friends say
4 no better of il than that ~ passes through the
. body uua-trred IN con 5ltutl"n- ara thus H"'S
J neither good nor harm statement n" exact
I acCuracy ~ which Ne venture 10 doubt
/ The chief charge however. that h brings
. against 10 Is that II Is injurious 10 inc teeth
and hr suggests that much y the tendency 10
carly decay Cf the teeth which is ComTno-y
. rtt with ~ the rising generation ~ due 20 the
habit II eating glucose-cuutaininS sweets and
jams. His point is that aith, Ugh II Is pos
sibIe IN the making of glucose L. free IT from
/ acid tEis - not h.bituaIly done. Again. speak
! iuC commercially ne says that il is better To
have an excess oi d'ld ihdh Z" htNr l"' S'l7',
81 excess ~ lime. Tor the ia'trF ""Il' mar
; thr gluro~e appear milky, which would make Il
F ..unsaIattr" Stability IS always tn cri-
. tetion. Hence h- regards X as Il ih'l lltl III
pract!c- tn glucose used IN cont-ct.on ~ con
ta!ns FREE sulpnuric acid. and ~ consequential
theory he holds that il i destructive u chn-
without going with him 10 tn ful! ,x;ent cf
regarding this the main cause II the preFa-
ler II dental carries il l. asy 10 500 that II 1t l.
tru- that the cheap goodies which are 5"
largely consumed 10y children ~ the present day
contain apprec-able quantity OF free SUI
phuric acid they are likely 10 cause more n
Jury than would arise from the mere eating of
sugar; a cause which has besn much discounted
Of late
the suggestICns made in our candid contribu-
tors letter with the iilustrat on which il gives
OF the way in which the provision Of food for the
people is regarded by those who have 10 al
with tn matter from a commercial po-Et Of
view.
What is evident is that in commerce. whe her
il is n question Cf gluct Cr beer, ar tofee or
Jam in all alike it il not whclesGmeEess that IS
aimed CheAE ness ard selling quality are
the great objects and If the thing vii! sell and
lead business that Is all that Is asked for If
We recognize this shall not he far from rec
ognizng what is the direction in which the leg
stature can most Usefuly intervene fer the prp-
tecticn of food supply. 1t IS but little US
RAISING special laws prohibiting the us OF this.
that or the ether material in the making GER
tain specified articles Of diet We may he sure
that the manufacturers will quickly find some
other substitute still cheaper and perhaps still
more injurious To take the place of the prOhib-
tied substance. What We have 10 do with is not
the details of manufacture, which are liable 10
constant change and incapable Of being
Specified by act Of Parliament, but the condition