Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-20
TO EAT FOREIGN FOODS.
Women Shocked at Gross Authorizations
in This Country's Products.

From the New York Tribune.
The members Of the Health Protective
Association went home yesterday afternoon
after their regular monthly meeting in the
Acadmey of Medicine with the apparently
unpatriotic determination to buy imported
food products after this. Their purpose.
however, was not so unpatr1otlc as II
looked, for they expect thereby not only to
protect themselves and their families from
the evil effects of adulteration. but to force
the home manufacturers to come up to the
foreign level.
The society had been addressed by R. E.
Doolittle, the chief Of the New York labora-
tory Of the United States Department Of
Agriculture, and he had told them that the
country had little protection against adul-
teration and misbranding except in the case
of foreign products. These, in consequence
of recent legislation. are now denied admis-
sion to the country If adulterated or Of in
ferior quality. thus placing premium upon
foreign goods. Not all adulteraton is pro-
hibited. 1t is true. but the necessity for call
ing things just what they are is as effective
as actual prohibition.
importers say" said Mr.. Doolittle, that
to mark their products 'artifcially colored'
is just the same as to inScribe the word
poison upon them"
Another resolution which the women pres
ent made was to grind their own spices
henceforth and forever. 1t Is practically
the only way, Mr.. Doolittle said, to secure
pure coffee and spices, and even then ono
cannot be absolutely sure that some Of the
coffee beans are not made out Of wheat
"middlings."
Mr.. Doolittle passed around some speci-
mems Of coffee and spices which were made
up. according to the analyses pasted on the
bottles, Of almost everything except the
substances indicated by the names Black
pepper was composed Of ground olive stones,
cocoanut shells. wheat middlings and white
pepper shells. An analysis of ginger
brought to light such things as wheat flour.
rice bran, mustard hulls, and in one case
20 per cent Of plaster. Mustard was col
ored in one case with tumeric, a harmless
vegetable OIL and in another with martius
yellow, poisonous coal tar dye. 1t was
adulterated with flour, and in one case with
20 per cent of plaster. Coffee was aduI-
terated with chicory and various other
things, but here, it appears the house
keeper is not without protection
IF you want to test coffee" said Mr..
Doolittle. Just put little of 1t In water
me coffee viii float and the adulterants
Will sink to the bottom"
Other specimens which the speaker showed
were even worse than the spices. A sample
a cream OF tartar was made up of acid
phosphate of lime and 20 per cent of MA ster
Just such ingredients as are ordinarily
used for fertilizers, commented Mr.. Doc
little.
| specimen of currant jelly had been
| analysed into starch paste, sweetened with
glucose. colored with coal tar, favored with
I chemicals and preserved with salicyIic acid
"Jellies and jams are among the most
SIoSSiy duulleFdLeu on the
| kets. and fiavoring extracts, such as vanilla
I lemon and orange, are as bad. These vile
| mixtures have been found to contain as
much as 80 per cent of wood alcohol an al
| most deadly poison, which acts upon the
| eyes and produces blindness
| 1.-The extent to which artificial coloring
matter is used in food products is some
| thing tremendous" proceeded Mr.. Doolittle
| land for this the consumers have them
| selves to blame, to a great extent. They
| are attracted by brilliancy of co!c!-heaven
| knows why!-whereas they ought to regard
| ii as a flag of danger
"Why can't the use OF all artificial color
| ing be prohibted?" asked the president
| Mrs. J. Augustine Wilson.
THAT is what should like to see done,'
| returned the speaker. II don't see why any
| one wants the color. But, as a matter Of
I fact, 1t would be very difficult to carry out
| such a measure as long as the consumer de-
| mands brightly colored food products What
we need Is a better educated public, and
| that is where organizations like this can do
good work"