The San Francisco call., 1907-01-02
CASTE IS FORMED
AMONG FOODS
Purity Law Is in Effect
and Creates Aristocracy
of the Grocer's Shelf
LABELS MUST SHOW

was made of aniline, coal tar dye and ocean
brine,
Sawdust fine and sealing wax, cotton wool and
carpet tacks
Are the blots on my escutcheon and the causes
From Confessions of a Veal Loaf.
Caste has been created among the
bottles on the grocers' shelves by Con-
gress and yesterday the statute of
aristocracy went into effect in the
form of the pure food law, which pro-
vides that all goods must tell on the
label what they are. That little idyl
of Chicago Packingtown, THE Jungle"
written by Upton Sinclair and read by
President Roosevelt, is partly respon-
sible for the measure, for THE Jun
gle" suggested that we were eating
ragged edges of Lithuanian workmen
when we thought we were only getting
homeless turkey. Roosevelt read
that chapter and he decided that if he
were to be a canibal he wanted to
know ii, so he beat Speaker Cannon
into passing a law which declares that
no goods can be sold the label on the
packages containing which do not
state in bold terms whether or not
they have been adulterated. Tomato
catsup, which has heretofore consisted
Of two ounces of tomatoes to a ton of
aniline dye, must henceforth be all to-
mato or wear on the bottle a scarlet
d to indicate that it has been dyed or
doped. Ordinary sugar must confess
that it is so per cent best sea sand, if
such should be the case.
That is where the aristocracy of the
grocery store is to come in. The sis
terhood of absolutely pure" foods will
be proud and naughty, though of sub
dued coloring, because it has the law
behind il and the foods will lift their
skirts gingerly as they pass the bril-
liantly rouged stuffs that proclaim the
blot of coal tar dye on their escutch-
cons.
VEAL LOAF CONFESSIONS
Henceforth embalmed beef will bear
the sign of its chemical origin in plain
view and the veal loaf of commerce
must confess that it is a medley of
many ingredients, then if people want
to buy they are welcome-the Govern
ment won't take the blame if they die
of indigestion.
This caste is extended to the bar,
too, and drinks must tell what they
are. Hereafter if the barkeep tries to
hand you a package which he says
was bred in old Kentucky he may be
'pinched" if il can be shown that the
stuff can only trace a lineage to raw
alcohol and coloring matter thrown to-
gether in the back room. Creme de
menthe must lose it's bright and beau
tiful emerald. which is half the delight
of the mixture. and become sallow and
pale, for the green part of the liquid
is foreign matter, put in merely for
the sake of the color and its attendant
allurements, and is therefore pro-
scribed.
Beer must give its ancestral tree on
the label and cannot shift response
bility by simply crossing its fingers
and saying that it is good.
There will be a great deal of con-
fusion in stores which have on their
shelves quantities of adulterated food
stuffs which were sold readily before
Roosevelt took a profound interest in
the public health. Now goods which
do not bear the prescription on the
label will not be permitted to go into
interstate commerce, and since most of
the food produce are made IN central
points of production for all markets,
almost every article of prepared food
stuff must give its secret life history
before it can be admitted into the
family circle.
GOOD FOR OUR WINES
California wines must take off the
fancy French dominos in which they
have been masquerading and come out
frankly and say they have not a Paris
finish, but that frankness cannot work
a hardship on California wines, which
rarely have TO give precedence to the
European vintage.
The force of the new law is that
manufacturers. packers and dealers
must not lie to the purchasing public.
Honesty is to be installed in commerce
by the Federal Government, but if per-
sons want to buy aniline oye they can
do so-there is no government statutes
against running the health.
But little drops of water and little
grains Of sand which have made the
grocery business the finest in the land
must 60 from the marts of trade. for
the Government has q penalty to in
1ict on those who break the pure food
law.