The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-09-25
COLD STORAGE AND THE FOOD
SUPPLY

Now that the cold storage business
has become permanent feature of the
American food industries, it is a public
duty to investigate the varied as
poets of this mode OF preservation.
with a view alike of correcting its
shortcomings and developing its pos
sibilities. In many quarters the mani
fold aspects of cold storage and its
practical applications to human health
and nutrition have not as yet received
the serious consideration which the
magnitude OF the interests involved
warrants Figures sometimes serve
as stimulus for better apprec:a-
ition of the facts of commerce and the
I progress of science. A government re-
/ port is authority for the statement
/ that the estimated receipts into cold
storage during one year amounted in
round numbers to 131, 200. 900 pounds
of fresh beef, 20,000,00o pounds Of
fresh mutton. 176,000,000 pounds of
| fresh pork. 157 100000 pounds OF but
| ter, and 100000 cases OF eggs. 1t
appears that 81 per cent. of years
production of fresh beef, commercial
slaughter, goes into cold storage: and
the data for the other meats furnish
even larger figures OF the farm and
factory production OF butter during a
year, 9.6 per cent. goes into cold stor-
age, and of the farm and non-farm
production of eggs. Is per cent. The
wholesale value of the fresh beef, NUT |
ton and pork received into cold stor- |
age totaled s35,0oo,OOo; of butter, s4o,- |
100000, and of eggs S64,000,000.
Influences of such magnitude bear
ing directly on SO vital matter as the |
food factor in national welfare assur-
eddy cannot be overlooked by those in |
terested In the public health. mas
much as some of the abuses or objec- I
tionable features of cold storage have
centered in the unduly prolonged re-
tention of food products, with the con-
sequent possibility of deterioration /
and incipient decay, instead of perfect I
preservation. it is interesting to learn /
in an authentic way something about i
the actual periods of time during which
the food products have in the past &C
tually been subjected to the conserva-
ton processes by cold storage in prac-
tice., It appears that the receipts into
cold storage are entirely or very near
ly exhausted by the deliveries within
ten months. Very small percentages
of some of the commodities were stor-
ed for much longer time but these
are explained by warehouse men as
being caused by special circumstan-
ces OF an monumental nature.
The largest "carry-over" into the
second year of storage of the six pro-
ducts investigated has been in the case
of dressed poultry, that of eggs being
decidedly the lowest For the aver
age length of time in cold storage the
actual costs are surprisingly small.
being reported as ranging from a frac-
ticn of cent per pound for meats
to 3.5 cents per dozen for eggs-fig-
ures representing only small percent (
age of the wholesale price of the com
moditfes It the service thus rendered
is wholesome enc, its operations in
yolye reasonably economical expendi-
ture. In SO far as cold storage involves
merely readjustment OF price levels,
its regulation is a matter OF public
concern but that is quite aside from
the real hygienic problems concerned
therein. We quote the conclusion of
the government expert: Let the fact
be what It will with regard to tie eff
feet OF cold storage on prices, the fact (
remains that cold storage has been
of incalculable benefit to consumers in
providing commodities for consump.
ton out Of the natural productive
season"