The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-02-28
CHEMIST HARMS ON
ADULTERATED FOOD
Delivers Address on Interesting
Topic Before the
Mems Club.
DIVIDES HIS SUBJECT
INTO TWO CLASSES
Chemical Preseryatiyes and
AntisepticS, He Declares,
Are Injurious.


gregational Church. State and City Chem
list Herman Harms gave an interesting
talk Monday night on Food Adultera-
lions" to an attentive and apprcciatiyc
audience. He divided his subject into
two classes; those adulteratlons that are
injurious to health ano those that are
non-injurious. He favored tho absolute
abolition OF the former class and the
regulation OF the sale OF the latter class
by having the consumer fully informed
OF the nature of stuff he is buying An
Interesting feature OF his talk was the
illustration OF the adulteration5 OF many
kinds that he has found In an official ca
paCity In the city by exhibiting samples
that have been encountered and compar-
ing the spurious with the genuine articles.
These exhibits inclued coloring matter
preserVatlves and substitutions,
OF Great Import to Public.
He stated that pure food Is q matter
OF great import 10 public health and that
the money spent for adulterated food
products amounts to millions OF dollars
yearly That the American people are
awakening to the Importance and I'm
mcnsity OF the subject to the extent that
nearly every State In the Union has en-
acted laws regulating the sale OF adul-
terated foods. In Utah the Office OF
Dairy and Food Commissioner was ere
ated in 1899 and four years later the office
or State Chemist was added. The ltah
statutes define the term food as any
article used by man as food. including
confectionery, flayoring extracts. drink or
condimcnt. whether mixed or compound.
The duties Of these Offices Is TO suppress
md prevent the sale OF adultCrutcd and
poisonous foods
What Is Adulterated Foodp
A food he said, Is deemed TO be adul-
terated when another substance has been
wholly or partly substituted for II, when
a valuable constituent has been wholly
OF partially extracted; when an imitation
Is sold for the genuine; when IT is col
ored mixed or powdered whereby In
feriority Is concealed. or when II contains
any added poisonous ingredients, is de-
cayed, filthy. dcComposed or labeled
as to deceive or mislead the purchaser
Preservatives and Antiseptics.
Chemical preservatives and antlseptics
no said are Injurious. Personalities pre-
vent fermentation and as digestion ls a
process OF fermentation. It follows that
preservatives Is Injurious TO the system.
Prescrvatlyes in milk should be con-
demned In the scvorest measures, az IL
is a universal food and the only food
consumed by children and lnvallds whose
vitality and digestive organs should not
be further oYerburdened to overcome the
preserVatve effects OF added antiseptiCs.
Hides Odor and Filth.
The preservatIve also. he said, often be-
comes substitute for cleanliness and
sanitary precaution. because the sntisep-
tic removes or hides for some time the
ordor caused by filth. derived from bad
air food. water and many other sources.
Prescrvatiyes. he said. are found in a
great variety OF foods. such milk.
serves. meats, oysters, canned goods.
wines. cider, grape juice. beer and every
thing liable 10 spoil.
AS to Aniline Dyes.
Aniline dyes are derived from coal tar
and are found In from 100 10 1850 vari-
eties- In various stages OF their prepaIa-
tion arsenic, zinc and sulphuric acid are
employed. Some OF these dyes are harm
less and others are injurious. He exhib-
tied samples Of French peas colored with
copper In the form OF blue stone.
Wood Alcohol Poisonous.
He devoted considerable attention to the
subject OF wood alcohol. which Is eX-
tremely poisonous. but is n ade to initiate
grain alcohol so closely that the differ
ence cannot be detected by the senses.
Substitute for Sugar.
Saccharinc was also explained as a re-
cent product which fills tho double pur-
pose OF food prcscryatve and a substi-
go times greater than sugar. but lacks
uutritive qualities and possesses abso-
lutely no food value.
Non-Injurious Articles Frauds.
As to the non-lnJurious articles. he
classified them as frauds OF sophlstca-
items. They always Cheaper or lower tho
quality of goods or are sold in place of
other articles They simply rob the con-
sumer. and the loss falls most heavily
upon the uneducated and poorer class,
who by necessity are compelled TO
patronize cheap stores. However, to
certain extent the fraud Is practlced in
all classes Of foods.
Other Counterfeits.
Cream is deprived OF its butter fat and
then thickened and colored. Oleomarga-
rine Is another counterfeit Renovated
butter he characterized as a fraud OF
tho worst character. while the public had
large percentage OF water. with great
profit to the impostors.
Neither Lemon Nor Vanilla.
He exhibited lemon and vanilla extracts
that contained absolutely none OF the
articles they purported TO be
Jellies, jams and preserves are often
found that contain not g particle OF fruit.
but are made of gelatine or starch paste.
Adulteration Of Spices.
In the adulteration of spices the great
est latitude has been used, as In them
are found wheat, corn starch. nour.
drst. sowdust, peanut shells. cornmeal.
cracker crumbs and almond and cocoanut
shells.
AS to Wholesale Poisoning.
His experience had been. he said. that
reports OF wholesale poisoning from this
CIu5b OIL EODu Hdu DctU STedtIy eNQH
geratcd He had always, he said CON
tended to let the lobel tell and inform the
consumer what the article he purchases
contains, whether 1t be n preservatIyc.
ccloring or other substance.
Most Of Diet Pure.
An honest article invites the scarchlight
of truth while an article sailing under
false coiors states az little as possible re-
garding its composition. a large part Of
cur diet ne said, Is invariably pure and
I'm Utah the condition OF foods is general
ly quite satisfactory
To Foreclose n Lien.
Judge Morse took up the case Monday
of the Sierra Nevada Lumber company
against s, j. Parker ct al. to foreclose a
mechanics lien in the sum Of S11l5S on