The Sentinel=record., 1918-07-21


 When bugle blows beans" the call that Is liked best of all. when our soldiers and sailors join in with the time-honored lines Just quoted. and
 then when they line up for army mess" or navy "chow" they do so with full confidence that the meat | they will eat will be as wholesome and
 as fit as practical science can assure. The reason Is that the federal ln- spection service which has protected the civil population of the United l States from bad meat fin interstate commerce has been extended to cover completely the meat and meat prod ucts supplied for the American army and navy. Sixty-seven inspectors of the bureau of animal industry of the
 United States department of agricul- ture are now with the army and thirty are with the navy.
 When the present war began the sec retary of war requested the secretary of agriculture to assign meat inspec tors to the various cantonments, train Ing camps, forts, posts and other places where large numbers of troops were in training. This followed sim liar service by inspectors when Ameri- can troops were mobllized on the Mex ican border In 1915.
 Regulations Stringent.
 The bureau men are inspecting, se lecting and handling meats and fats for military consumption. and the op- erations are under supervision from the time the live animals are driven into the slaughterlng chambers until the finished product is delivered in good condition to the mess cooks. The standards of inspection are based on l the best scientific knowledge of the ] present day, and are sustained by the unanimous views of all the great sci 1 entists of the world who are experts | on the subjects involved American
 regulations and practices are fully as | stringent as those of any other na- l ton, and in some cases they are even
 more stringent.
 Meat From Two Sources. The army gets It's meat from two | sources-from the quartermaster corps and from private concerns, All meats supplied by the quartermaster corps are prepared in establishments oper ated under federal inspection, and the majority of these products are further inspected in these plants by army meat inspectors assigned there for the pur- pose. Examinations made by inspec- tors at points of consumption are to detect unsoundness which may have developed after the products left the packing house and to determine wheth- CT they comply with specifications and contracts.
 Inspectors also advise quartermas- ters with regard to proper storage and handling of meats. keep these officers informed of the supply on hand, make sure that the oldest packs are issued \ first and assist in other ways to pre- vent loss from deterioration. Troops must purchase in the open market fresh | meat and meat products. other than fresh and frozen beef and mutton, be- cause the quartermaster corps does not carry them. Thorough and eff cient inspection of these products 'pur- chased locally by troops preceding their preparation for food fin the kitch- ems is of more importance than the inspection of the meats furnished by the quartermaster corps.
 Handling Sanitary.
 All meat products must be handled in a sanitary manner. Wagons or trucks used to transport meats from points of issue to kitchens must be clean and equipped with tight-fitting 1 tops, and persons who handle meat must wenr clean garments that may be easily made clean again.
 For the past ten or twelve years the bureau of animal industry has coop | erated with the navy department In | the reinspectlon of meat and meat food | products. The organization of the | navy is different from that of the army. | Not as many men have to be sup piled and the manner of feeding them is not the same. The navy provides | large mess halls and, unlike the army, | does not have numerous small mess halls. The organization of the navy | does not make local purchases because the supply division of the navy de- l partment furnishes all goods. Only | United States Inspected and Passed" meat and meat food products are pur- chased, and these must be inspected for specifications in the packing plants by inspectors of the bureau of animal in- dustry, except at the Chicago plants. where the navy has It's own inspectors. |
 The navy department desires the bu- | reau's inspectors to conduct all rein | spectlons at receiving points. Inspec- ton for the navy Is not confined to meat and meat products, but includes other provisions, such as poultry, fish, oysters, clans, butter. eggs, cheese, fresh fruits and fresh vegetables.
 
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