The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1906-06-08

disregard on the part of employees of
any notion of cleanliness In handlinr
dressed meat we saw hog that had
just been killed. cleaned. washed and
started on its way to the cooling room
fall from the sliding rail To n dirty
wooden floor and slide part way into
Il filthy mems privy 1t was picked
up by two employees, placed upon Il
truck. carried into the cooling room
and hung up with other carcasses. no
effort being made to clean it.
Treatment of Meat After Inspection
The radical defect in the present sys-
TEN of inspection is that it does not
go far enough. 1t is confined at pres.
ent by law TO passing on the hcalthful-
ness of animals ut the time of killing.
but tie meat that is used in sausage
ana III the various forms of canned
products and other prepared meat
foods goes through many processes, in
all of which there is possibility of con
ANIMATION through inSanitary handling
and further danger through the use of
chemicals During all these processes
of preparation there is no government
inspection and no assurance whatever
that these meat food products are
wholesome and fit for food. despite the
fact that all these products when sent
out bear Il label stating they have been
passed upon by government inspectors
AS to the investigation of the al
legged use of dyes, personalities or
chemicals in the preparation of cured
meats, sauSa@eS and canned goods we
are not yet prepared to report. We
did look into the matter of sanitary
handling of the meats being prepared
for the various food products. The re-
suits of our observations have already
been partly Given. Other instances of
how products may be made up and still
secure the stamp of government in
Spccton are here given. In one well
known eSta jlishment we came upon
fresh meat being Shovcled into barrels
and regular proportion being added
of stale scraps that had lain on dirty
floor in the corner of room for some
days previous. In another establish
ment, equally well known, Il long Ia
bic was noted covered with several
hundred pounds of cooked scraps of
beef and other meats. Some of these
meat scraps were dry, leathery and I'M
lit TO be eaten, and in the heap were
found pieces of pigskin and even some
bits of rope strands and other rubbish.
Inquiry evoked the frank admission
from the man in charge that this was
10 be ground up and used in making
'potted ham"
All of these canned products bear la
bells of which the following is Il sample
ABATTOIR NO. -.
The contents of this package have been
inspected according to the act of
congress of March 3, 1891.
QUALITY GUARANTEED.
The phraSeology of these labels is
wholly mwarranted. The government
inspectors pass only upon the health
fulness of the animal at the time of
killing. They know nothing of the
processes through which the meat has
passed since this inspection. They do
not know what else may have been
placed in the cans in addition to lin
spectcd meat" As matter of fact,
they know nothing about the "con-
tents" of the can upon which the pack
ers place these labels do not even
know that il contains what it purports
to contain. The legend Quality Guar
anteed' Immediately following the
statement as to government inspection
is wholly unjustifable. 1t deceives
and is plail1y designed to deceive the
average purchaser. who naturally in
fers from the label that the govern
ment guarantees the contents of the
can to be what it purpOrts to be.
In another establishment piles of
sausaGes and dry, moldy canned
meats, admittedly several years old
were found, which the superintendent
stated to us would be tanked and con.
verted into grease. The disposition to
be made of this was wholly optional
with the superintendent or represent
atives of the packers, as the govern
ment does not concern itself with the
disposition of meats after they have
passed inspection on the killing floor.
1t might all be treated with chemicals,
mixed with other meats, turned out in
any form of meat product desired, and
yet the packages or receptacleS in
which it was to be shipped out to the
public would be marked with a label
that their contents had been govern
ment inspected" 1t is not alleged here
that such use was to be made of this
stuff The case is pointed out as one
showing the glaring opportunity for
the misuse of label bearing the name
and the implied guarantee of the Unit
ed States government.
Another instance of abuse in the use
of the labels came to our notice. In
two different establishments great
stocks of old canned goods were being
put through a washing process to re.
move the old labels They were then
subjected to sufficient heat to ''liven
up" the contents, to use the phrase Of
the room superintendent After this
fresh labels, with the government
name ON them, were to be placed upon
the cans, and they were to be sent out
bearing all the evidence of being a
freshly put up product. In one of
these instances. by the admission of the
superintendent, the stock thus being re-
labeled was over two years old. In the
other case the superintendent evlded a
statement of how old the goods were.