New-York tribune., 1905-01-04
FOOD ADULTEPAFION.

a declaration that the practice of food adui-
teration is on the increase. in spite of all the
laws for the protection of the public and the
activities of national and State experts, ought
to arouse widespread interest and lead to de-
mands for really effective measures against the
swindlers who do not scruple even TO endanger
life by selling impure drugs. DR.. Leon L. Wat
ters. in an address on Friday before the chem
ical section of the American Association for
the Advancement of Science. declared:
think that I am justified in saying that this
perniciouS practice is the increase, and the
nrazen effrontery and audacity with which the
practice is carried out truly indicative of the
deed, has the evil extended that venture to
say that il is almost, If not quite. impossible
TO obtain certain articles which are true to their
name.
DR.. Walters reported in detail some of the
most common authorizations. Pure olive oil was
not to be had in the market. except from a
few high class dealers; vinegar was almost
always fortified by mineral acid; cocoa was
adulterated with starch, ground shells and
sugar; coloring extracts were fraudulent fab
relations; baking powder brazenly advertised as
pure was loaded with injurious substances;
candies contained large amounts of terra alba,
and Whiskey was made up of raw spirits, flavor
ing and colOrng matter. If this is the experience
of a chemist who examines food, if these and
many other products spoken of by DR.. Wat
ters habitually aduterated. the question
arises as to the effectiveness of our government
agencies which are supposed to be upon the
lookout for such frauds. Congress has estab-
IiShed machinery to shut out foreign adulterated
goods. But the manufacturers of domestic food
products have stoutly resisted all efforts to
subject them to penalties for adulteratlon and
force them to make their goods true to label.
AS the supervision of imports has not prevented
the importation of vast quantities of cotton
seed oil in the guise of olive oil. perhaps the
public has not suffered from their lobbying to
the extent which might be imagined
DR.. Waters does not think the evil is to be
met by new legislation. He believes there are
enough laws now. The trouble is that the
laws are not enforced. Every State and city
has regulations TO insure the purity of food.
What can be done is illustrated by the recent
work of Health Commissioner Darlington in
furnishing milk adulteratOrs. Not new laws but
new energy drove dishonest dealers out Of
business. Similar energy in other directions
could safeguard the public without the estab-
lishment of new penalties, and even without
the expenditure of any large sum of money.
The amount of fraud practised is directly pro-
portoned to the safety of practising it. Manu-
facturers adulterate their wares because they
find it almost invariably safe to do so. If they
were kept in fear Of energetic investigation, the
time or place of which they could not predict
and We're sure that when the inspector did touch
them any fraud would certainly be exposed, for
their profit they would be honest Now
they are Indifferent. Even when some official
analysis does reveal their adulterations they are
practically unharmed. Nobody but the deliver
In official publications knows anything about it,
The consumer doesn't hear that So and Sos
oil or baking powder is a fraud and learn to re-
fuse 1t at the grocers. Nothing is gained by an
nouncing that certain percentage of the sam
pies of any particular article is found to be
adulterated. The consumer wants to know
what brands to avoid and what he can safely
buy. When our city State and national bu-
reaus really give him that knowledge there will
be some incentive to the honest manufacturer
to engage in business. 1t will pay not TO
adulterate.