The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1906-07-20
Protection for
Food Consumers.

No. 50 issued by A. F. Ladd, state
chemist of the experiment station
of North Dakota, a housekeeper
of the ficker-tail state may go to
market fully prepared to protect
herself from adulterated canned
goods, dairy products, chocolates,
olive oil, syrups, honey, evaporat-
ed and dried fruits, meats, extracts
etc. This is an interesting docu-
ment showing first the result of
food tests by the department dur
ing the past four years, It ap-
pears from this report that articles
which range ranged in adultera-
tion from 40 to 100 per cent in
1902 have been brought down to
conditions Of purity ranging from
absolutely pure in the case of
American canned peas and canned
tomatoes to from 6 per cent for
canned corn to 81 per cent for
French canned peas.
The chemist explains that the
showing is even better than ap-.
pears from the table because in
the first column for 1902 the fig.
ures indicate the results for the ex-
animation of every product as
found upon the market, while in
1904 only those brands we're ex-
amined which we're still suspected
of being adulterated while those
known to be free from any aduter-
alton were not examined. He
thinks on this account the percent
age of adulteration should be re-
duced in most cases more than so
per cent in order to make a fair
comparison.
This is certainly very gratify-
ing evidence of the benefit derived
by the people Of North Dakota
from the work Of their experiment
station. Not only does it appear
that the quality Of canned goods
and other prepared foods has been
greatly improved but = decided
change for the better $Aas been
brought about in the Matter of
weights. Ii was not uncommon
when these Iexanlin ions began to
find food products falling from S
to 20 per cent shortsin weight:o A
pail of lard, for instance, supposed
to weigh three pounda was found
to contain actually less than stwo
and half pound indeed, seldom
more than this. Recent observa-
tions show that full net weights
are in the market retailing at the
same price as the previous short
weights and showing gain to the
purchaser of 19 per cent. Short
age in weight is now in direct vio-
lation Of state law and short weight
goods are to be declared illegal.
1t is said that manufacturers
guilty of short weights have main
tained that there was no necessity
Of complying with weight regula-
tions because all gods were Of.
uniform weight The chemist,
however, finds this not to be true.
He finds packages of peas varying
all the way from 573 grams to 622,
corn, varying from 529 9 to 6 t629 3, and a. I
other articles showing similar
variations As a result of the re-
quirement that goods be- full
weight the mean weight Of peas
has raised since 1902 from 594
grams to 7O7 and no samples fall
below 697. The mean weight Of
corn packages has been raised from
5s8 to.698 grams, The weight Of
the package has remained the
same, showing gain in the net
weight Of contents Of corn pack
ages Of 1M grams, or more than
20 per cent. The bulletin also
gives lists Of goods with the names
Of the manufacturers and advice
as to whether they are legal or not
and If not with what they have
been adulterated.
Such results as to improvement
in quality as we'll as in quantity
seems to afford conclusive evidence
as torthe value to the consuming