Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-13
WILL BE ROAST BEEF
DESIGNATION TO BE GIVEN TO
PARBoILED NEAT.

Canned roast beef" which Is simply boil
ed will still be called roast beef" This
was decided at a meeting of the Secretary
Of Agriculture with Senator Hopkins Of H.
linois and Mr. Thos e. Wilson, represents
tive of the packing interests. who was so
prominent in the investigation at the Cap
itol last spring when the meat inspection
law was still pending.
There has been a question all along as to
what the alleged roast beef should be called
for labelling purposes. The Secretary Of
Agriculture has come down rather hard on
a good many of the packing house products
and it has been decided that picnic ham,
which had no ham in it. would not be al
lowed to call Itself ham, In the same way
''potted chicken" could no longer be made
out Of sheep. But the canned roast beef in
dustry is a large one and the packers IN
this country supply a great deal Of IT.
abroad, where it comes into competition
with the roast beef" Of South America and
Australia. and the packers plead for lenien-
ground that roast beer Is valuable
trademark whether it is roasted or not.
Formula on the Cans.
The result of today's conference Is that
the cans, of this steamed beef compound will
still be labeled "roast beef" but as COM
promise the packers promise to put under
the name the formula by which 1t Is pre-
pared This. according to official statement.
consists in parboiling the beef for fifteen
minutes after which it Is steamed in the
cans for three hours
that there were evolutions in methods OF
cooking. that roast beef used to be roaSieo
on a spit in front of the fire. that after the
introduction of stoves and ranges II was
roasted in the oven. and that now the
packers had further evolutionized the
process and that parboaling ana tnen
steaming in the can was now the same as
roasting. At any rate, tt was held that II
the method of preparation were printed on
the can no one would be deceived. even II
It were labeled Nightingale tongues
1t was explained in connection with this
method of reasoning that the foreign COM
petition in army supplies was 30 Keen mat
It would put American producers at Sc
rious disadvantage IL they could not sup
ply something called roast beef in filling
army contracts 1t is just possible that
supplying the armies Of the world makes
a convenient method OF. dfSpoSlng OF the
so-calied roast beef. also as the enlisted
him in the wey Of a ration. and II he does
not like It he can throw 1t away as many
American soldiers did in Cuba.
Nothing Unwholesome Included.
It was also explained in connection with
the roast beef label that the inspectors
would see to 1t that nothing unwholesome
went into the cans anyhow. and that what
ever 1t was called, the compound would
have to be innocuous before it received the
stamp of government approval, AS a mat
ter OF fact. the steamed beef which is put
up In cans under the roast beef label, Is
made from the lowest grade of lean cat
tie than can be secured. 1t is explained by
the packers that this is done to get as much
of the .red meat as possible and not to
burden the can with tat.
whether chemicals and preservatives
were put into the cans that went to CUBA
or not will always remain secret with
the packers. It is explained by the De
partment Of Agriculture that there can De
no chance in future of chemicals and pre-
seryatiyes finding their way into the cans
The whole question Is one Of preserving
q label that Is a valuable trade asset. So
the cans are going to continue to be labeled
notice that 1t has not been roasted by the
formula printed In small type under the
NAME