The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-01-26
BOTULINUS POISON NEVER PRESENT
 IN SOUND FOOD
Food Officials Warn Con sumers to Watch for Signs
 of Food Spoilage.

Botulinus poisoning which recently killed six in one family in New York is caused by eating spoiled food in- fected with the bacillus botulinus, the officials of the Bureau Of Chem sstry, United States Department of Az riculture, who have investigated this and other poisoning cases in counec- ton with the enforcement of the Food and Drugs Act. In the New York case death was caused by botulinus poison in ripe olives. The olives re- maining in the bottle in this case had an offensive odor. The same condi- ton was found in the food in other cases investigated by the department. All spoiled food does not contain poison, but any spoiled food even though the spoilage be slight may contain it, and for this reason, say the officials, all food showing even the slightest unnatural odor, unnatural color, swelling of the container. signs of gas, or any evidence of decom- position whatever, should be discard ed.
 Te Department of Agriculture has used every possible effort and gone to the limit of it's legal authority to
 
 market by seizure under the Food and Drugs Act, say the officials. Each time when botulinus poisoning has occurred food inspectors have traced through the channels of commerce the batch from which the poisonous food came and have used all meas ures under the law to remove 1t from the market Samples from all other brandsf put out by tee pac&er nave been examined. Since the law autho- ities seizure in such eases only when the foods are actually found to be decomposed or to conrafn poisonous ingredients since only an occasional package in millions is infected with bacillus botulinus. and since it Is phy- sically possible to open and examine but a comparatively few of the mill lions of cans entering interstate commerce, it is beyond the power of the authorities to protect the pubHc completely For this reason they emphasize the necessity for scrupu- lous care on the part of persons open ing and serving foods to discard, any thing which is spoiled. In products not obviously spoiled, if there is doubt in the recognition of the odor proper to the product, thorough cooking Will remove the possibility of danger from | struction is recommended by the specialists.
 Nobody knows just how the bacillus botulinus gets into any particular food. It has been found in articles put up in the home by the careful housekeeper and in goods packed in commercial establishments. It may be present in a few packages of any lot. There is no method, the officials say, by which the packers OF. home canners can assure themselves by casual examination before canning that the product does not contain the bacillus botulinus.
 If the food were in all cases prop er1y sterilized and perfectly sealed the development of the poison would be impossible, but no <nethod of pre- serving food has yet been found, the specialists say. that eliminates the occasional spoiled package. Failure to sterilize may not become apparent for weeks or even months after the canning. of the article. If signs or spoiIase have appeared when the can is opened, it Is clear warning that the product is no longer edible. There is no greater probability Of ootulinus poisoning in olives than in many oth- CT food products either commercial or domestic. Until this year 1t has been more commonly found In string beans, asparagus an0 the like. 1t Wss originally found in sausage. It has been found in cheese; 1t IS present sometimes in stock food, such as rnoldv hay and other kinds of sopiled rorase. but it has never been found in the department Investigations in any kind of food that was not spoiled.