The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1906-06-01

lime ornerS-s ss....cachusetts. acted and
enforced food laws, until at the pres.
ent time twenty-five States are seri-
ously attempting to regulate the char.
acter and quality of the foods sold in
their markets. In three additional
States laws relating to the purity of
dairy products are enforced, and in
several others a beginning has been
made.
Food Regulation Abroad.
Food legislation has received much
attention abroad and the more ad-
vanced foreign countries have effective
food laws and enforce them rigidly,
Inc subject of the purity of foods is
more widely studied in the United
States now than at any previous time.
The people as whole are better in
formed on the subject than ever before,
and there Is constantly increasing
demand for definite information. In
response to a very large number Of
inquiries regarding the matter the bull
letin of the Bureau Of Chemistry has
been prepared as a popular statement
regarding the nature and extent of
food adulteration, and includes simple
tests by which the housekeeper or re-
tail dealer may determine some of
the more prevalent forms of adultera-
ton practiced.
The demand for information on this
subject is now very general, and, as
Is often the case when public interest
Is deeply aroused, there is an unfor-
tunate tendency toward exaggeration
which frequently amounts to sensa-
tionalism. Such an attitude is of
course to be deplored, and unless 1t Is
checked must sooner or later react
unfavorably. 1t is not unusual to
speak of some of our typical foods as
poisoned, and of the manufacturers as
lpoisoners. Such characterizations are
Frequently exaggerations to the point
81 untruth. Deleterious substances
re in many cases added to foods. At
same time the word poison" has a
yeeX strong and distinct significance
should not be applied to any one
\ NE substances ordinarily added to
HO0ds, except in the sense that they are
harmful. The word "poisoner" signi-
f1es q person who Intentionally and de-
lfberately administers an article in
tended to result fatally, or at least |
very disastrously to health.
The Juggling of Words.
Dcring recent years there has been |
'abtendency to confuse the minds of |
many by an incorrect use of certain |
words frequently used in the discussion
OF foods. 1t is the policy of some man
ufacturers to limit the word "adulter-
ated" to foods to which have been
added substances of lower value than
the foods themselves with the inten-
don of increasing the weight or VOL
|ime. This limitation is certainly not |
dstifed by the English language nor
w the facts, and such a restriction of |
The term is entirely unwarranted. The
lord "adulterated" properly describes
food to which any noncondimental
l0reign substance, not properly con.
Itltuting portion of the food, has
IeAn added. The fact that the added
instance may be at times of greater
\ Shercial value than the food itself
mo bearing on the question. Con-
krsely, the word pure" Is properly
,licable to foods that are unmixed
ii any foreign substance It may
wholesome or unwholesome, but
B. property is not indicated by the
" pure" or "adulterated." This
iii Hon Is not, Of course, complete.
&Tl3 claim 10 made by some manu-