The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1913-05-29
Chicken Soup,
Rice and Water

Rice and wafer
ALMOST AS MUCH SALT AS MEAT
IN THE soUP-DOES NOT COME
WITHIN EITHER STATE OR MA
TiONAL PURE FOOD LAW REG
ULATIoNs.
Chicken soup, "condensed' ana
concentrated, is nothing but rice
soup and water
That is the finding Of the North Da-
kota department Of pure foods, the
results of analysis Of such products
being published in the current depart
ment bulletin.
In the eight samples OF condensed
and "concentrated' chicken soups, the
average of the ingredients found fol-
low:
On the Original Basis.
Boiled rice .271S per cent.
Meat extract .......... 3.54 per cent.
Meat fibre ............ 81 per cent.
Salt ...... 205 per cent.
Wafer 1913 per cent.
Food Value is Nil.
A striking comparison of the food
value Of these soups is made by Leon
A. Congdon, who conducted the ex-
periments. He shows that S cents
worth OF apples equals in food value
to Is cents worth of chicken soup;
20 cents perth of beef equals in food
value II cents worth Of chicken soup;
10 cents worth Of bread equals in food
value Is cents worth of chicken soup;
Sc cents worth of creamery butter
equals in food value $2.3S worth OF
chicken soup; 20 cents worth of cheese
EQUALS in food value 81 cents worth OF
chicken soup; 13 cents worth of eggs
equals in food value 46 cents worth of
chicken soup.
Violates National and State Law.
That these soups do not come with
in the spirit Of either the national or
the state laws regulating the label
ing of food products, the North Dakota
pure food department contends that
they might be labeled as rice soups
favored with chicken and come within
the law.
Summary and Conclusions.
In his summary and conclusions
covering the investigation, Mr.. Cong
ton says: /
1. The majority Of the condensed
chicken soups analysed were found to
contain an excess Of boiled rice; the
approximate average being 27.18 per
cent and the range 9.92 to 800 per
cent.
2. The meat fibre detected ranged
from approximately % to 1872 per
cent; the average being 81 per cent.
3. The average per cent of salt or
nacl was found to be EOS per cent;
the range from O.92 to 2.S3 per cent.
The other havoring materials used
were very minute amount Of pepper
and parsley, with one exception where.
minute amount of celery was detect
ed.
1. The meat extract averages 1854
per cent; the range being from 0.30
per cent to SIS per cent
S.. The per cent of water not attrib-
uted to boiled rice, meat extract, salt
and flavor in the condensed soup aver
aged 1913 per cent; range from 54.76
per cent to 1915 per cent. The total
per cent of water by drying over at
100 c averaged S7.44 per cent; range
from s1.46 per cent to 94.07 per cent.
6. The condensed chicken soups as
found on the market cannot be consid.
cred as nutritious articles of food. The
average food value In calories per
pound was 21O.5.
z. An approximate method was
worked out and based on the water
soluble protein and ash due to meat
and extract, by which the approximate
amount of meat used in making the
condensed soups could be obtained.
From this data and a more detailed
examination of the fat due to meat,
ETC., and the microscopical structure of
the blood corpuscles, it was found that
in all probability the condensed chick
en- soup was nothing more, as regards
meat, but a bullion or beef soup
stock, favored with dice like pieces of
chicken fibre. The excess of rice used
was for no other means than to dis
guise the absence of more chicken
meat and extract; and the beef extract
or beef boullion added was cheaper
means of preparing the meat bases.