The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1907-07-04
WHAT FOOD SHALL We EAT
n We Are to Run no RISK OF Being
Poisoned or Made Sick
FODO COMMISSIONERS BULLETINS
Tell OF Many Things Which are Not
Fit to Eat

When one reads the Food and Dairy
commissioners Bulletins and notes
the large number Of articles or 1000
products which have been analysed
bv the chemist and found to be "illeg-
gal" the question arises, what are we
going to eat and not be poisoned?
Rut we can take into consideration
the fact, that the Commissioner ana
ALI of his inspectors are looking after
those products which are Illegal, ana
hardly ever collects samples for an
aIvsis which are free from suspicion,
then we breathe easier again ana
may venture 10 use some of the goods
which are canned bottled or pre-
served taking care to select those
which have not been condemned by
the Commission. 1t is a fact that
when the pure food laws first went
into effect it was hard to find canned
or bottled food stuffs which were not
in some way adulterated. While the
reverse is true now.
A hundred brands of canned or bot
tied goods are frequently examined
to find one illegal brand. This is in
deed encouraging and shows the ne
cessity for eternal vigilenCe on the
part of those who stand between the
people, the honest packer, and the
adulterators of food products. In the
summer months during hot weather,
at the time when people dislike to
have hot fires in their homes 1t is
refreshing thought to know that one
can buy ready prepared foods which
are free from Benzoic Acid, Benzoate
of Soda, Alum, Coal Tar Dyes etc.
Probably the time will never come
when all prepared foods are entirely
free from all these preservatives, but
the time has arrived when most OF
these goods allowed on sale are prac-
tically free from all OF them. Oc-
cassionally We receive letters from
packers of pickles saying IL is I'M
possible to keep sweet pickles with
out the use of just little Benzoate
of Soda and that the pickles will not
keep crisp and firm without the use
Of alum. We know it is much easier
for the packer to put up pickles in
this way, but we also know that our
mothers and grandmothers did put up
and preserve all kinds of pickles with
out the use Of these artificial ingred-
tents and that they tasted good to US
Notwithstanding the fact that in all
probability a large per cent of the
spices used by them We're adulterated
to a more or less extent We do not
take kindly to the theory of going
back to the good old days of forty
years or more ago for all the good
things in life but are firmly of the
opinion that very many Of our present
prepared food could do so with pro-
fit to themselves and satisfaction to
the consumer We are getting canned
corn, tomatoes, peas, beans, catsup,
strawberries, raspberries, blueberries,
apricots, peaches and all kinds Of
preserved fruits without a particle of
lreservative agents in them put up by
reliable firms who have long since
recognized the fact that pure food
laws are enacted because the people
realized the necessity for them, and
that the people who are the consum-
ers Of their products will stand by the
rigid enforcement of them, regardless
of who may be the loOser, but we
have always with us another class
who believe they can evade both the
scrutiny of the inspector and the effect
of the law by devising ways and
means whereby a cheap product can
be put up with preservatiyes, so cum
ningly concealed that they will not
be found out. These are they on
whom the Commissioner spends most
OF his time, and to whom the enforce
ment Of the pure food laws is
great bindrance to attaining great
fortunes in the canning and packing
business, and of whom it might aptly
be said mo thief ere felt the halter
draw with good opinion of the law"
nIEn AT nIIIIlrL