The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-19
PROTECTS PUBLIC
FROM POISONERS
Minnesota Dairy and Food Commission Con-
That Puts Before the Unsuspecting Public
Edibles That Are Freighted with Death
Dealing Drugs. .~ ~ s..S:
WALL,
Commission.

In the enforcement of food laws by
the Minnesota state dairy and food
commission, "eternal vigilance'~ has
been the price Of "pure, healthful PROD
ucts,'' and while dealers today gener-
ally seem to desire to keep only such
goods as will comply with our stat
utes, yet our inspectors find in almost
every town adulterated goods improp-
erly labeled. Adulteration in a large
ticed, and has been since the '''mem-
ory of man runneth not to the contra
ry.' 1t includes a wide variety of.
products which enter into the daily con-
sumption Of the public, and the per
sstency with which it is practiced is
worthy of a better cause.
For over sixteen years this depart
ment has combatted adulterations IN
every form, and some of the most IN
genious that the human mind could con-
ceive. In all those years thousands or
adulterated samples have been taken
which were not only base limitations
of wholesome foods, but in many cases
contained absolutely poisonous ingre-
dients. which, if taken into the system
in sufficient quantities, would either
cause death or total blindness. IN
some brands Of lemon extracts and in
essence of jamaica ginger deadly wood
dlCOuOl was CLO
When called to account for placing
such dangerous products on the mar
ket in Minnesota, the representatives
of the eastern firms responsible for their
presence here, and who escaped further
punishment than paying fine of $lOO,
said the poisonous goods were shipped
into Minnesota by mistake and We're
really intended for consumption OF the
colored people in the. southern states.
hast cnph I< arcia liSm ~ is
criminal, and we are glad to say that
no Minnesota jobber has engaged in
thus inficting upon an unsuspectlng
public product freighted with death
dealing poison, and while competition
might force them to put upon the mar
ket goods that are not above suspicion,
vet none Of them would knowingly en-
danger human life. '~, ~
Vinegar Fight Fierce
Our records show the warfare waged
to secure a pure vinegar for our citi-
zens to have been a repetition of the
contest with the oleomargarine trust.
Fraudulent manufacturers, long since
ont of business, were the principal de-
tractors Of the dairy and food com
mission for enforcing the plain pro,
Shs OF that 0p product edu ia" WITH thaf as with
other illeg gal food commodities, the con.
test has been with the adulterated and
deleterious foods. The food laws were
extended in scope in 1889 and were
made to include vinegar, lard, baking
powder, beer, wine and liquors, and the
report Of the chemist for the biennia
period ending July 81, 1890, showed
that 1858 samples were collected FOL
analyses, of which 4,460 were pure.
Of the total number, 1915 were milk
samples, in which only 4 per cent Of
+ adulteration was found. Nine per cent
Of the butter samples were adulterate6
and BLOB per cent of the cheese sam
Piles analyzed were found adulterated
The per cent of ,adulteration in baking
powder was 1886, vinegar 42.17, anc
so per cent of the brandy and whisky
analyzed was found to be low in alco
holic strength. Of the total numbe,
of samples examined, the average pc!
cent of adulterated was 1904.
One-Third Impure.
The report of the chemist for .th'
biennial period ending July 81. 1892
gave the following tabulated result: