Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1912-04-12
PRACTICAL MARKET INSPECTION
Contributed by Mrs. Sarah A. Evans,
City Market Inspector, Portland,)

Until very few years ago we were
accustomed to considering everything
that came from the store clean and
wholesome, perhaps because we
thought it was new; but with the dis
covery of germ life, and it's relation to
disease, this idea, with many others
was exploded.
Strange, however, as it may seem,
the scientific care and treatment of
foods is very recent compared with
many far less important agencies for
human welfare. That food was not a
matter of earlier investigation, and is
not given greater consideration today,
is still more surprising when we real
iZe it's relation to the human body,
knowing that it serves as the material
from which the animal structure is
built and also furnishes the energy to
keep up the bodily activities. Profess
sor Olsen, of the Polytechnic Institute,
of Brooklyn. N Y, says: The steel
of our bridges and buildings is bought
and sold on the chemists certificate of
llS COIHpOSlllOu " Illt lllouSuiutAl "
per cent Foods are manufactured
and sold on fiavors and appearance,
utterly regardless of composition or
food value The ocal for our engines
must be tested and analyzed, but the
far more precious human organism is
loaded with Heterogeneous mixture of
fuel of unknown composition.
When an intelligent, well-informed
public demands analyzed, tested fods
they will be better served by the food
producer, manufacturer and sales
man." This Indifference to the char
acter of our foods comes largely
through ignorance, and no more inn
portant study could commend itself to
the housewife and mother than the
scientific investigation of our food
supply.
The subject of food has so many
phases. and yet all are so interviewer
it is difficult to separate the one from
the other, but in none of its many
sides is there more confusion than in
what is apparently the most simple
pure food. A scientist has given this
definition of pure food: Food is i'm
pure or adulterated, therefore. when 1t
contains injurious constituents of any
kind. when it is below the standard OF
food value, when sold under some form
of fraud or deception, or when 1t does
not conform in some respect to pure
food laws, The words impure and
'adulterated. as applied to foods very
rarely implies the presence of what
are commonly considered poisonous
constituents"
This is not true, however, of un-
clean foods, and the same high au-
thority saws: The unsanitary condi-
ton of the food supply has resulted In
the introduction into the human sys-
TEN of innumerable disease bacteria.
Under these conditions the sacrifice of
life has been appalling, especially
among the immature, aged and sick.
Impure food can, and is being reg
ulated by legislation, because II Is tan
gible visible and easily discovered; ;
these heads, but on the contrary the
dangerous kind is evasive. unsuspect-
ed and unobserved. though the con-
ditions producing filth are often most
apuarent. Unsanitary conditions then
being the most alarming feature OF
the food proposition. how are we going
TO applv the remedy? The answer Is
simple enough-by education and by
law. We advisedly put education be-
fore the law. for the lawmakers must
be educated up TO the necessity for
food regulations. before they are cape
bic Of enacting just and equitable leg
islation on the subject. Not an easy
thing 10 do. you may think, but there
won are mistaken. While the con-
science Of the Iaw-maker may lie dor
mant for years. show him conclusiVely
that the food he Is eating Is althy or
diseased and he will be ready 20 vote
for any ordinance you may propose
and what Is more. back It up with
public money. And right here Il
might be stated. that there is no re-
form to which the public responds 80
unanimously. OF so readily supports
as crusade for clean food
A good ordinance r. the first essen-
tiaI toward bringing about sausfac-
tory market conditions. This ordin-
ance should provide for the officer &c
enforce Il. and IL should cover those
things which general sanitary conci-
lions and local needs demand Briehy
stated. some Of these requirement.
should be: keeping open boxes Of fooo
al least two feet above the floor; keep
ing All foods that cannot be washed %
cooked after being taken home undei
cover. such covering 20 exclude duE'
and flies. having no toilet opening IN