Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-26
MAKES PLEA FOR
CLEANER BREAD
INDIANA MAN TAKES SIDES OF
CONSUMER
INSISTS DUST SHOULD BE KEPT
FROM BREAD AND MEAT
Effect of Benzoate of Soda as Pre-
servative VIII Be the Main
Topic at Today's
Session
rRy Associated Press. !

DENVER, Colo, Aug. 25.-The con-
tentton of the department of agricul-
ture that benzoate of soda, used as a
preservative in thousands of food prod
ucts is not harmful to the public
health, will be defended tomorrow by
an array of chemical experts.
Secretary of Agriculture James Will
son was joined here today by DR.. Ira
Remsen of Baltimore, DR.. Russell H.
Chittenden of New Haven, Conn; DIR.
John II. Long of Evanston, ILL.,, and
DIR. Christian H. Herter of New York,
all members of the Remsen referee
board which was created by President
Roosevelt to decide upon disputed
points in the enforcement of the fed
eral pure food laws.
They will appear before the conven-
ton of the state and national food and
dairy departments tomorrow to reit-
crate their findings, that benzoate Of
. soda Is not harmful when used in
small quantities
Remsen Board Accused
On the other hand, in the associa-
tion. which is composed of food COM
misioners and experts in chemistry
from every state in the union, there
is a faction that asserts that the eX
periments made by the Remsen board
should not be accepted as conclusive
and that, whether benzoate Is harmful
foods in which it is used, is still an
open question.
J. @. Emery food commissioner of
Wisconsin and president of the asso-
citation, has openly opposed Secretary
Wilson and the Remsen board. He as
serts that there is no need for any
kind OF chemical preservative in food
products. After the Remsen board
members speak n special committee,
appointed by President Emery, Is to
give its opinion of the boards find
ings. It was reported tonight that
some of the members of this commit
tee had decided to accept Secretary
Wilson's attitude.
Pleads for Clean Markets
DR.. e. f. Ladd. food commissioner
of North Dakota, and DR.. H. e. Bar
nard, food commissioner of Indiana,
addressed the convention tonight. In
discussing Sanitary Inspection of
Food Production and Distribution"
DIR. Barnard said:
THE question of purity in food has
been superseded by that of sanitation
in the handling of food. While by
sheer force of law we are compelling
antee purity, we are almost entirely
neglecting sanitary milk production,
clean bake shops or wholesome mar
kets. We forget that meat, sterilized
by heat, cannot contain Injurious bac-
teria, and that our bread and milk
may be swarming with germs of filth,
even though they conform to all legal
standards of strength and composition.
"In other words, we must not longer
ignore the important fact that foods,
though chemically pure, may be sani-
tarily unfit to eat
Would Protect Rural Districts
"The enforcement of the federal meat
inspection law has solved the meat
problem for city dwellers, but the time
the distribution of unfit meat sent
abroad by the small slaughtering
house
"'While most bake shops are now
sanitary, the conditions under which
bread is handled after it leaves the
place is subject to serious criticism by
being carried in unclean baskets,
brushed against dirty frocks, or dis
tributed by unwashed hands, it carries
an amount of germs unpleasant to
think about.s Dust kicked UP by horses
heels, throwing the bread into the
wagon Unfortunately with vinegar
jugs, a keAsene can and sack 'of
onions, all Mggests the necessity of
dust-proof wrapper.
Does the consumer know that the
dried fruits, crackers, sugar and other
articles commonly sold in bulk are free
from flies and worms? Does he know
that the refrigerators are free from
odor and mold?
Dust Protectors Needed
1--WE need laws that will compel the
shop keepers to protect their wares
from the flying dust of the streets.
Along with the law that forbids the
sale of milk which contains chemicals,
we want a law that will prohibit the
sale of milk which contains filth, prob
ably more destructive to health than
chemicals.
'I have not touched upon the methods
employed at some canning factories,
picking houses and ice cream factories.
All these subjects suggest the neces-
sity for a vigorous campaign for clean
illness as we'll as purity in food"