The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-10-17
REPORTS
Which Worked An Injury to Packers
is Corrected

Until the packing season of 1908,
tomato catsup packers universally
had considered it impossible to make
catsup Of the natural ripe tomato color
without the use of artificial color So
general had this impression become,
that most food chemists throughout
the country felt justified in taking
for granted that catsup of bright
red color was artifcially colored, and
III many instances they condemned
such catsup without a chemical test.
This method worked no injustice on
any packer until the fall of 1905,
when the commissioners of the three
northwest States declared that eat
sup packed by Columbia Conserve
company, of indianapolis. Ind, ana
which was claimed by them to J..
absolutely natural color, was colored
with ani!ine dye. These statements
of the food commissioners were re-
futed by the Columbia Conserve com.
pany, and steps were taken to sup
port their contentious in the courts.
The commissioners, approaching that
Columbia Conserve company was sci
rious in their attitude, male careful
tests of Columbia Conserve COM
rany's ca an!,.
Gentlemen The undersigned spent
The day III Erookings and f:om there
wired you tat You might ill your
catsup orders IN this Stare. Our
chemist mas found that t'.e claims
made bF vn'i are t''s1, and We hasten
to correct ou, former req -. have
ESQ expla;' ed the mater 10 Mr..
Skinner: Ills s as far as tie report
as Cos rom this Office.
Now rs t. the real situation. W.
wish to be entirely frank va! you -
We desire = i've with every nI..'. and
only wish !,;;, all would be as frank
with us as you have been. T. ANA
wing yen, catsup, Profess," Shop
ard followed the authorized nra: tho Is
laid down i'y the oi1iea: chemists,
and by no approved process FUND
colorir@ matter. He went ae far as
he was C>De, ted to under the rules
laid Gown anG had no reasyn 10 look
into the matter further. The pro-
test of your firm led him to make
further investigation. The first pecrl-
liar thing he found was that the col
or produced in the wool was fading.
which it should not do if it was coal
tar dye. as he had every reason to
believe it was. He then made tests
for other ycolors and finally. as a last
resort, sent out and got some ripe
tomatoes. BY using the same meth
DDS that he had with the catsup, to
his great surprise he found that the
same color was produced. though not
as intense owing, doubtless, to its
not being in so concentrated form
as in the catsup. This was contrary
to the books and is new thing to
him. This determination was com
pleted at noon today. so there has
been no delay in notifying you.
The only regret I have in the mat
ter is that you have been put to in
in film" Your orders.
Aside from that | am very much gra-
titled with the result of this inves-
tigation. I have all along taken the
position that salablc catsup could
be made without coloring matter. and
my order abolishing color in this class
Of goods was based on this belief
I am now more than ever convinced
that I was right. These packers have
demonstrated their ability to make
a salable article. one presenting as
good an appearance as was ever put
upon the market. Their statement
that in order to make this class of
goods they are obliged to select their
fruit using only prime ripe tomatoes.
is just what we have been aiming at
By the use Of artificial coloring pack
ers have been enabled to use inferior
stock.
Yours.
c. P. SHERWOOD.
Commissioner.
Columbia Conserve Company eat