Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1903-10-28
NOW FOR PURE FOOD.
Results of the New Law to Regulate
Adulteraton.

GliOIis
One of the most important acts ever
passed by Congress, so far as the
health of the people is concerned. is
the law approved March 5, 1903, au'
thorizing the secretary of agriculture
to investigate the adulteration of foods
and drugs, to supervise the importa-
ton of food products intended for ex'
portation to countries requiring ply
,sical or chemical inspection of foods!
entering their parts and to fix a stand
ard of purity for foods.
The pure food law, as it is called,
was supposed to be mainly for the
purpose of getting back" at those
countries Germany, for example)
which have excluded some of our
foods and food products, on the
ground that they were not healthful.
Our canned beef is excluded from
France and Germany because of the
fear of ptomaines. Germany some
time ago excluded pork, and some
countries do not like our fresh beef
because it is supposed to be preserved
with boric acid. Be that as it may,
it is known that DR.. H. w. Wiley,
chief of the bureau of chemistry of
the Department of Agriculture, has
for years been working to secure the
passage of a law by Congress to pre-
vent the adulteration Of foods in this
country, and in that work he has had
the hearty support of the New York
Society of Medical Jurisprudence.
The new law ought to accomplish
two ojects. 1t should not only enable
the Department of Agriculture to pre-
vent the adulteration of domestic
foods and liquors 1t is also hoped
that by system Of cersification as
to their purity, etc., it may be the
means of overcoming foreign prejue
dice against some of our articles of
food. and of removing existing bar
riers against their sale in other coun-
tries.
In some quarters it is said that the
law was expressly designed for the
benefit of the owners of the California
vineyards; that if adulterated cheap
wines could not be imported there
would be a much larger consump: lion
of the domestic brands of clarets, etc.
The imported brands of cheap wines
have to be adulterated, it is said,
with small percentage of alcohol be-
cause of the variableness of the Amer
lean climate. The importers OF the
cheap wines say that the percentage
of alcohol added 70 the wines is only
enough to preserve them, and is not
enough to make them unhealthful or
bring them within what would be
known as adulterated wines. But
that will be for DR.. Wiley and the De
partment of Agriculture to determine.
In any event the act Should operate
for the benefit of the public's internal
economy, so far as its heal,h is con-
sidered. and will enable the public,
if it so desires, to be reasonably sure
as to the composition of what it is
eating and drinking & 80, -
At present Dr. Wiley and several
experts are at work making up list
of imported articles that are known
to be subject to the law, and also a
list of those articles which may be
suspected of adulteration. In enforc'
ing the law against adulterated foods,
whenever the secretary of agriculture
has reason to believe that articles are
being imported which, by reason OF
adulteration, are dangerous to the
health of the people of the United
States, or that their sale has been for
bidden in the countries where they
are made. or that they have been
falsely labelled, he is empowered to
obtain at the Custom House speci.
men original packages or samples
from the importations for the purpose
of analysis. If such articles are found
to be adulterated such goods shall not
be delivered to the consignee.-N. Y.
Commercial.