Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-12-27
Pure Food Board Lays Down
Formula to Be Followed
by Manufacturer.
TO RESTORE PIES GLORY
Kind That Mother Used to Make
Must Be Sold in the Future,
Says Expert.


in time to catch all Christmas pies.
but as a happy promise and har-
binger for the new year.
The pure food board of the de-
partment of agriculture, headed by
DR.. Harvey w. Wiley, after laborirg
for months over the question, what
is mince meat?" has evolved this Of
fetal definition:
Mince meat is a mixture of not
less than 10 per cent of cooked,
communicated meat, with chopped
suet, apple and other fruits, salt and
spices and with sugar, syrup or mo-
lasses and with or without vinegar,
fresh, concentrated or fermented
fruit juices or spirituous liquors.
The board has been inquiring for
several months into the general con-
spiracy that produces commercial
mince meat in this country. They
have discovered many high crimes
committed in the name of mince
meat connections, which in the
boards opinion are defaming the
memories of our grandmothers and
hiding behind a cherished name.
! The mince meat manufacturers have
| contended that you really can't
standardize this delicious article, fol
mince pie from away back in Shake
speare's day has been just what any
body chose to make it. 1t was pos
sible, they argued, to have even
mince meat without meat.
WILEY PREPARES FORMULAS.
The pure food board, however,
after considering the big question
from all angles, has prepared copies
of indictments. These have been
sent to the makers of mince meat
| Professionalism them to
show cause why they should not
hereafter be required to make the
godlike pie filling according to of
fetal formula. 1t is true that the
order issued by the board in its
present form is tentative, but DIR.
Harvey w. Wiley is firmly of the
| opinion that no evidence can be ad.
duced that will shake the determine.
ton of the board to preserve this
long established institution in its
pristine glory. Sad to relate, most
| of the copies of the indictment to
show cause were mailed to Massa
chusetts, which for many years has
professed to be the original home
and abiding place of the old-fash,
toned mince pie.
Referring to the official formula,
the board, in its tentative decision,
says:
THE board indorses this standard
and is of the opinion that it repre-
sents clearly the ordinary concep-
| ton of mince meat, and a product
under the name of mince meat, diff
fering from this definition, would be
misleading to the purchaser and
therefore misbranded; and the board
is further of the opinion that it is
a reasonable standard for the man
ufacturer to attain, and that no un
due hardship is exacted in requiring
that mince meat shall comply with
this standard.
BLOT ON HONORABLE RECORD.
|
and starch in mince meat has been
considered, and the board is of the
opinion that these are not normally
| ingredients of mince meat and
therefore, their presence should be
plainly indicated on the label"
The pure food board acknowl
edges that it has long honorable
| h4@
times it has been made in various
ways. Through the entire literature
of the subject, however, certain
well-known ingredients have appear
ed, some of them of Fundamental
character. These fundamental in
gradients are lean meat, or a com
bination of meat, with suet, togeth
er with sugar, molasses, spices, ap
pies and other fruit, with or withou
some alcoholic liquor.
These facts says the board
were confirmed by the evidence oh
tanned at a public hearing and b!
the opinions secured from a large
number of grocers. bakers, hote
managers and housekeepers, by cor
respondence and personal inter
view"
CAUSES WILEY TO GRIEvE.
DIR. Harvey w. Wiley, the pur'
food specialist, showed considerabl,
emotion when discussing some spec
linens of modern mince meat DR.
Wiley mourned over the decadenct
of the human race in this respect
He thought that mince meat made
after the formula suggested by the
pure food board would be the kind
mother used to prepare, provided
of course, the persons who made i
knew as much as mother used tt
know. The doctor has been TOLD
that 1t was a good deal better il
made without spirits, but he haC
never tried to satisfy himself on THU
score. 1T is certain to be wei
made" he said, IF made at home IL
careful manner. If you buy som,
of the pie filling, the Lord onl!
knows what you will find, but usual
ly no meat-fllers of all description
-four, glucose, benzoate of soda AMI
a few other delightful connections
1t is sold as mince meat and as sucI
; should be eschewed, not chewed."
4 DIR. Wiley was asked as to tn,