The Delta independent., 1906-06-01

enacted in Massachusetts. Since that
time other States have enacted and
enforced food laws, until at the pres
ent time twenty-five States are seri-
ously attempting to regulate the char
acter and quality of the foods sold in
their markets. In three additional
States laws relating to the purity Of
dairy products are enforced, and in
several others a beginning has been
made.
Food Regulation Abroad.
Food legislation has received much
attention abroad and the more ad-
vanced foreign countries have effective
food laws and enforce them rigidly.
Inc subject of the purity of foods is
more widely studied in the United
SA"+-- No. thar a. any previous time.
rne people as whole are better in
formed on the subject than ever before,
and there is a constantly increasing
demand for definite information. In
response to very large number Of
inquiries regarding the matter the bull
letin of the Bureau of Chemistry has
been prepared as popular statement
regarding the nature and extent of
food adulteration, and includes simple
tests by which the housekeeper or re-
tail dealer may determine some of
the more prevalent forms of adultera-
tion practiced.
The demand for information on this
subject is now very general, and, as
is often the case when public interest
is deeply aroused, there is an unfor-
tunate tendency toward exaggeration
which frequently amounts to sensa-
tionalism. Such an attitude is of
course to be deplored, and unless 1t is
checked must sooner or later react
unfavorably. 1t is not unusual to
speak of some of our typical foods as
poisoned, and of the manufacturers as
p0lsoners. Such characterizations are
frequently exaggerations to the point
of untruth. Deleterious substances
are in many cases added to foods. At
the same time the word poison" has a
very strong and distinct Significance
and should not be applied to any one
Of the substances ordinarily added to
foods, except In the sense that they are
harmful The word "poisoner" signf-
fies q person who Intentionally and de-
lfberately administers an article in
tended to result fatally. or at least
very disastrously to health.
The Juggling Of Words.
During recent years there has been
q tendency to confuse the minds OF
many by an incorrect use of certain
words frequently used in the discussion
of foods. 1t is the policy of some man.
ufacturers to limit the word "adulter-
: ated" to foods to which have been
added substances of lower value thar
the foods themselves with the inten.
tion of increasing the weight or vol
ume. This Limitation is certainly moi
justified by the English language mol
by the facts, and such a restriction o.
the term is entirely unwarranted. Tht
word "adulterated" properly describes
q food to which any noncondimenta
foreign substance, not properly con
stituting q portion of the food. ha
been added. The fact that the addel
substance may be at times Of create
commercial value than the food itsel
has no bearing on the question. Con
versely, the word pure" Is propefi,
applicable to foods that are unmixe
with sny foreign substance. It ma.
be wholesome or unwholesome. blu
this property IL not indicated by tn
word pure or "adulterated." Thi
deAnition ID mot, Of course, complete
TAe claim u made By soms manu-