The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-05-17
OLIVE PACKERS
 HOPE TO PREVENT
 MORE POISONING
Lack of Precaution Said To Be Responsible For Pois-
 on Fatalities.

The Bureau of Chemistry of the Department of Agriculture authorizes the statement that 1t has met with a gratifying degree of cooperation on the part of packers of ripe olives in improving methods to such an ex- tent that danger from botulinus poisoning in future packs will be elim- mated. Five groups of deaths traced to poison produced by the organism known as Bacillus botulinus have oc- cured in New York City, Detroit, Michigan; Canton, Ohio; Memphis, Tennessee, and Kalispell, Montana All Of these cases were due to the consumption of ripe olives. No fatal ities have been traced to green olives,
 Very extensive investigations have been made by scientists from the Bureau of Chemistry with the co-op- eratfon of the packers and the pack CTS have also employed specialists to study the causes of botulinus poison ing and the precautions which should be employed to prevent further diffi- culty. The experts agree that the trouble is not inherent in the type of container used. Whether the olives be packed in glass jars or in tin cans they may be rendered absolutely safe
 If proper precautions are taken to
 prevent the infection with bacteria
 during handling and if the packages when filled are sterilized at a suffi- cient temperature and for sufficient period of time. It is entirely practic- able say the specialists, to steri1ize both glass containers and tin cans at temperature high enough to insure absolute sterilization.
 Lack of Precaution Responsible Unfortunately some packs of ripe olives put up in glass as well as some in tin during past seasons were not prepared with all the precautions now known to be essential and were not sterilized at a. sufficiently high temperature and some of these goods l in glass were responsible for the fla 1 talities. It is probable that of all the | ripe olives on the market but an ex- l tremely small number actually con- ] tained bacillus botulinus. Of more 1 than 2,O0O individual packages col l 1ected and examined in the Bureau l of Chemistry but eight were found to contain bacillus botulinus, and seven 1 of these were from the output of one 1 manufacturer and from one batch ! of his output. In addition to these | eight the bureau has examined sam
 pies of some of the olives responsible | for the fatalities and has also found ] bacillus botulinuS in these specimens. l Since there Is possibility of dan l ger from any ripe olive which has i been insufncient1y sterilized the Bu- | reau of Chemistry has suggested to the industry that all ripe olives in glass or in tin wherever located be 1 carefully inspected and that any 1 which show the slightest degree of 1 decomposition be destroyed. It has 1 further suggested that all ripe olives
 which have not been processed at a sufficiently high temperature be re- | turned to insure complete steri1iza- l ton. With few exceptions the olive packers have most Heartily fallen in with all suggestions made in the in | terest of the public safety and by mutual agreement entered into by l practically all of the packers they 1 are now taking steps to withdraw from the market all ripe olives in glass containers which have not been
 sterilized at a sufficient temperature Similar steps are being taken by some of the packers in the case of minced
 olive <relishes in view of the fact that
 one death due to the consumption ot such a product has been reported 1 While concerted action to remove l ripe olives packed in tin and pro- ceSsed at a low temperature has not 1 been taken by the packers the fact
 that spoilage in tin has so consistent
 ly resulted in making a 'swelP' out
 of the can constitutes a warning to
 the purchaser which is not often dis
 regarded. There is no reason to an-
 ticipate danger from properly packed
 and processed ripe olives whether . tainerS. M