Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1906-06-08

M passing u NOT MhnllA luNt y WY NNH
siderable portion Of the meat 80 handle
Is sent out a. smoked products aud IN ~
form of sausages, which are prepared TO b
eaten without being cooked,
| As an extreme example Of the entire dis
regard on the part Of employees Of any no
tlnn of cleanliness In handling dresse'
NEST, We saw hog that had Just beel
killed cleaned, washed, and started ON II
way to the cooling room, fall from the slid
| ing rail to dirty wooden floor aud Sid
part way into a filthy mems privy, II wa
picked up by two employees, placed upon
truck, and carried into the cooling room au'
hung up with other careasses, no EFFORT be
ing made to clean II.
The commissioners make this state
ment as 10 the defects of the present
laws:
The radical defect in the present systeu
~ Inspection Is THAI Il does not go fai
enough Il Is confined At present by law e
passing ou thr healthiuness of animals a
ihe time ~ Alling but the meat that j
used iu sausage aud in the various forms o.
canned products and other prepared meal
foods goes through many processes IN all
of which there is possibility II coniamina
lion through insaniilry handling, and fur
AAINf NAAHnf HHHhHhN NNf NH" Nt tAl"N'it' 80
During an these processes of preparation
there is no government inspection and no
assurance whatever that these meat
products are wholesome aud NJ for food
despite the fact that an these products
when sent ont. bear label stating they
have been passed upon By government in'
spec,ors.
As to the Investigation Of the alleged use
af dyes. pr.seryailyes. or chemicals 10 the
preparation Of cured meats s1usaEes and
canned goods WV are not yet prepared to
report. We did look into the matter of
sanitary handling Of the meats being pre-.
pared for the various food products. The
results of our observations have already
been partly given Other instances of how
products may be made up and still secure
the stamp Of government inspection are
here given. In one well-known establish,
meni we came upon fresh meat being shoy.
eled into barrels, and q regular proportion
being added Of stale scraps that had lain
on dirty floor in the corner Of a room for
some days previous. In another establish
ment equally well known, long table was
noted covered with several hundred pounds
Of cooked scraps Of beef aud other meats.
Some of these meat scraps were dry, leath.
cry, and unfit 10 be eaten; and IN the heap
were found pieces of pigskin, and even
some bits Of rope strands and other rub
hish Inquiry evoked the frank admission
from the man in charge that this was 10 be
ground up and used in making 'pot'ed
ham.
All these packages bear labels which
would lead person TO believe they had
been inspected by the government,
and the phraseology of these labels
guaranteeing quality is wholly unwar.
ranted. The government inspectors
pass only upon the healthfulness 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 inspected meat. An
example of the abuse of the use Of
these labels is thus furnished
In two different establishments great
stocks Of old canned goods were being put
through washing process TO remove the
old labels. They were then subjected TO
sufficient heat to "liven up the contents
Ito use the phrase Of the room superin-
tendent After this fresh labels, with the
government name on them were to be
placed upon upon the cans, and they were
10 be sent out bearing all the evidence of
being 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.
The commissioners say that no con-
sideration save that of the account
book is shown and the health and COM
fort of the laborers, and proper care
of the products, are ignored. lnsani-
tarv conditions and hard work inevit-
ably affect the health of employees
Physicians state that tuberculosis is
disproportionately prevalent In the
stock yards, and the victims of this
disease expectorate on the spongy
wooden floors of the dark workrooms
from which falling scraps Of meat are
later shoveled up to be converted into
food products.
As to government inspection, that
before slaughter has little value IN
most cases; that after slaughter is
and conscientiously made
The microscopic examination of hogs
to be exported to Germany seems to be
made with great care. The number of
inspectors is inadequate.
To relieve present conditions the
recommend this legisla-
ton:
|. Examination before slaughter is of
minor importance and should be permissive
instead Of mandatory. Examination after
slaughter is of supreme importance and
should be compulsory.
.. Goats, now exempt from inspection,
for foreign or interstate COM
merce, should be included in the list sub
iect to the inspection of the bureau of ami
NAL industry, and should be equally con.
trolled by the regulations of the secretary of
agriculture.
g. The examination of all meat products
intended for interstate commerce at any
stage of their care or treatment should be
consigned to the bureau of animal indus
try and no mark or sign declaring that in
spection has been made by government Off
cials should be allowed on any can, box, or
other receptacle or parcel containing food
unless the same has been subject
to government inspection at any and every
stage of the process of preparation, and
all such labels should contain the date of
issuance and it should be misdemeanor
to erase, alter, or destroy any such labels.
Meat products, and canned preserved or
picked meats, Wheh sent iruih an! PaoNins
or canning establishment, if returned to
the same, should be subject to such further
inspection, regulation, and isolation from
other meat products as the secretary OF
agriculture may prescribe.
A. Power should be given to the secre-
tary of agriculture to make rules and regu-
lations regarding the sanitation and con-
struction of all buildings used or intended
to be used for the care of food products for
interstate or foreign trade, and to make such