The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-02-24
THEHASKINLETTER
MORE SAFETY IN CANNING
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

WASHINGTON. D, c., Feb. "a
Wandering germs and bacteria need
not look for home in a canning fac
tory. Gamers Of IA big canning states
have set up their own inspection ser
vice to supplement state and local in
speCtion regulations. BY this Volun-
, taTY supervision We are told canned
foods are to be kent up to par excel
lence standard. This is an important
project to a nation that consumes as
| much canned food as the United States
Frank e. Gorren, secretary of the
National Gamers association, states
that factories employing the Gamers
inspection service are bound to require
ments more strict than any set by
state inspection boards This. high
standard he regards as a step in ad-
vance for the canning industry and an
added guarantee to the consumer.
Redoubled vigilance on the part Of
the Gamers should not be taken to
mean that canned foods have been
carelessly prepared, or that they have
t bee? a subject for complaint. The
nounces that in the past year 5000
100000 cans of food We're used bv this
country, Z and that not one authentic
case of Illness was traced to CONNER
cially canned foods.
Out of millions of cans it is newt
dult lIdl II lew Siblllu SDTlIS " teak OF
otherwise be defective but the careful
housewife can tell at glance If the
contents of can are unfit for use
Besides the appearance and odor Of the
food. the can itself is a guide for it
win swell If the contents become
spoiled.
These warning SIGNALS" says Mr.
Gorrell. ARE as easily recognized as
the decay of rotten apple, but to fur
nish extra safeguards the National
Gamers association decided to estab-
fish a voluntary inspection service
Gamers who desire it. Companies
maintaining the service are visited
daily sometimes oftener, by an in
speCtor who follows the course of the
product through the factory to see that
each step is performed according to the
sanitary regulations and standards of
quality.
~ he inspector looks to see if only
clean. sound materials are used, and If
the fish fruits or vegetables have been
properly washed or trimmed in prepa =
| ration for canning. He also investi-
gates the packing of the cans To
! come up to the National Gamers
standard each can must be as fun of
food as practical. consistent with prop
er sealing and processing. and without
injury to the quality and appearance of
the product. The water, brine or
syrup added can be used only to fill
cra cks and to cover the product.
The inspector visits every corner of
the plant always with the threefold
purpose in mind sanitation of the can
merry. sanitation of the product and
wholesomeness of the product"
This undertaking of the Gamers is
especially worthy of recognition be-
cause the plants that assume this ex-
ira responsibility do 50 of their own
choice. Most of the states. and some
cities. have inspection regulations, but
the forces provided to carry out the
laws are necessarily small. and a fac
tory Is visited by state officials only
once In a while.
Besides state and local regulations
the Gamers have to comply with the
pure food and drug law This law
deals entirely with the product when
1t is on the market, and there Is no
factory supervision by the national
government as a means of enforce
ment. Thus the Gamers have been
left more or less to themselves. Fifty
canning factories in Ohio, for instance.
are under supervision of one state Of
fetal. Forty Of these plants are now
also under inspection of the Gamers
with IA men in charge,
The IA states which have established
the sanitary inspection service are the
big centers of Industrial canning. They
range from California, the home Of so
much OF our canned fruit, to Illinois
with its corn. and New York with its
varied products.
In each OF the IA states a director Is
in charge Of inspection. These IA
men were recently at a banquet with
Or. Harvey Wiley, the food expert. and
they found to their surprise that eleven
of them had serXed under Dr. Wiley
when he was chief of the bureau of
chemistry in the United States depart
ment of agriculture. Nearly all of
these, IL directors are trained chemists
and hacteriologlsts. or have had long
experience in the canned food trade
All have previously been engaged in
food inspection work
service was nfst planned on a small
scale in 1916. but 1t was not extended
to its present size until 1919. Now tho
Gamers association reports that It Is
steadily growing and doubtless in time
will include nearly all OF the big can
ming plants Of the country.
Results Of the inspection project wiz
soon be brought to the attention Of
BUYERS Of canned goods by use Of spc
cial certificates to be pasted on the
tins put out by plants inspected and
found to be uD to standard, These
labels will bear a picture Of a can and
fruits and vegetables, and the words
Prepared under the sanitary inspec .
ton service, Of the National Gamers.
association
This is the first year that mark
of inspection will be placed on cans.
The National Gamers association says