Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-06-06

WY tVHprAOAAbAC POt bOH VI Uit meal
80 handled Is sent out as smoked prod
ucts and in the form Of sausages, which
are prepared to be eaten without being
cooked.
A particularly glaring instance of I'M
cleanliness was found in a room where
the best grade of sausage was being
prepared for export. 1t was made from
carefully selected meats and was be-
Ing prepared to be eaten uncooked. In
this case the employee carried the chop
ped up meat Gro a room in q bar
row the handles of which were filthy
with grease. The meat was then
thrown out upon tables. and the en-
ployee climbed upon the table, ham
died the meat with his unwsshed
hands, knelt with his dirty apron and
trousers In contact with the meat he
was spreading out and, after he had
finished his operation, again took hold
of the dirty handles of the wheelbar-
row, went back for another load and
repeated this process indefinitely. In
quiry developed the fact that there
was no water in this room at all, and
the only method the man adopted for
cleaning his hands was to rub them
on his dirty apron or flthier~ trousers.
AS an extreme example of the entire
disregard on the part of employees of
any notion of cleanliness in handling
dressed meat we saw a hog that had
just been killed, cleaned, washed and
started on its way to the cooling room
fall from the sliding rail to a dirty
wooden floor and slide part way into
a filthy mems privy. 1t was picked
up by two employees, placed upon a
truck, carried into the cooling room
and hung up with other c~arcasses, no
effort being made to clean it.
Treatment of Meat After Inspection.
The radical defect in the present sys-
tenn of inspection is that it does not
go far enough. 1t is confined at pres
ent by law to passing on the healthful-
ness of animals at the time of killing,
but the meat that is used in sausage
and in the various forms of canned
products and other prepared meat
foods goes through many processes, in
all of which there is possibility of con-
tamination 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
ont 1nor n la lNnl efoftnn fhAtr hoxrn 1a0nn
passed upon by government inspectors.
AS to the Investigation of the al
legged use of dyes, preservatives or
chemicals in the preparation of cured
meats, sausages 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
spection are here given. In one well
known establishment we came upon
fresh meat being shoyeled into barrels
and a regular proportion being added
of stale scraps that had lain on a dirty
floor In the corner of a oom for some
days previous. In another establish
ment, equally well known, a long ta-
BILE was noted covered with several
beef and other meats. Some of these
meat scraps were dry, leathery and I'M
fit 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
to be ground up and used in making
''potted ham,"
All of these canned products bear la
bells of which the following is a sample,
ABATTOIR NO. =.
The contents of this package have beer
Inspected according to the act of
congress of March 3. 1891.
QUALITY GUARANTEED.
The phraseology of these labels is
wholly unwarranted 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 Gin
spected meat" AS a matter of fact,
they know nothing about the econ
tents Of the can upon which the pack
ers place these labels = do not even
know that it contains what it purports
to contain. The legend Equality Guar
anteed' Immediately following the
statement as to government inspection
is wholly unjustiiable. 1t deceives
and is plainly 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 1t 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-
verified into grease. The disposition to
be made of this was wholly optional