Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-13
WILL BE ROAST BEEF
DESIGNATION TO BE GIVEN TO
PARBoILED NEAT.

Canned roast beef" which is simply boil
ed will still be called roast beef" This
was decided at meeting of the Secretary
Of Agriculture with Senator Hopkins OF IL
linois and Mr.. Thos. e. Wilson, representa-
tive of the packing interests, who was SO
prominent in the investigation at the Cap
itol last spring when the meat inspection
law was still pending.
There has been a question all along as to
what the alleged roast beef should be called
for labelling purposes. The Secretary OF
Agriculture has come down rather hard on
a good many of the packing house products.
and it has been decided that picnic ham,"
which had no ham in it, would not be al
lowed to call Itself ham. In the same way
"potted chicken" could no longer be made
out Of sheep. But the canned roast beef in
dustry is a large one and the packers In
this country supply a great deal Of It
abroad where It comes into competition
with the roast beef Of South America and
Australia, and the packers psead Tor lenien-
cy as to labelling the concoction on the
ground that roast beer Is valuable
trademark whether 1t is roasted Or not.
Formula on the Cans.
The result of today's conference Is that
the cans of this steamed beef compound Will
still be labeled roast beef" but as COM
promise the packers promise to put under
the name the formula by which 1t Is pre-
pared This. according to official statement
consists in parboiling the beef for fifteen
minutes, after which II Is StedHeu III tAe
cans for three hours.
It was explained after the conference
that there were eyolutiOns in methOds OF
cooking. that roast beef useo 70 De soas ~
on spit in front Of the fire. that after the
introduction of stoves and ranges IT was
roasted in the oven. and that now the
packers had further evoiutlonazed the
49, Inn nd
steaming in the can was now the same as
roasting At any rate tt was held tnat II
the method of preparation were printed on
the can no one would be deceived, even II
It were labeled 'Nightingales tongues.
1t was explained In connection with TINS
method Of reasoning that the foreign COM
petition in army supplies was 30 Keen tnat
1t would put American producers AT Sc
rioa,s disadvantage II they could not sup
ply something called '.roast beef in filling
army contracts. It is just possible that
supplying the armies of the world makes
convenient method OF disposins OF the
so-called roast beef. also as the enlisted
man cannot dictate what ID to be issued
him in the way of a ration. and II he does
| not like 1t he can throw 1t away as many
American soldiers did in Cuba.
Nothing Unwholesome Included.
It was also explained in connection with
the roast beef label that the inspectors
would see to 1t that nothing unwhoiesome
went into the cans anyhow. and that what
ever 1t was called, the compound would
have to be innocuous before it received the
stamp of government approval. As mat
ter OF fact THE steamed beef which Is put
.. up In cans under the roast beef label, Is
made from the lowest grade of lean cat
tie than can be secured. It is explained by
the packers that this is done to get as much
of the '.red meat as possible and not to
burden the can with Tat.
| whether chemicals and preseryatives
were put into the cans that went to CUBA
or not will always remain q secret VIII
the packers. It Is explained by the De
oartment Of Agriculture that there can be
no chance in future OF chemicals and pre-
serratives finding their way into the cans.
The whole question is one OF preserving
q label that Is valuable trade asset. So
the cans are going to continue TO be labeled
roast beef" and the public win be put on
| notice that 1t has not been roasted by the
formula printed in small type under the
name.