Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1920-02-10

MORE SAFETY IN CANNING

washington, d. c., Feb. Wan
Gcring germs and bacteria need not
look for a home in a canning fac
tory. Gamers Of IA big canning
states have set up their own In
spection service to supplement
state and local inspection regula-
tions. By this voluntary, supervis-
ion, we are told. canned foods are
to be kept up to a par excellence
standard. This is an important
project to a nation that consumes as
much canned food as the United
States.
Frank E. Gorrell, secretary of the
National Gamers association,
states that factories employing the
Gamers inspection service are
bound to requirements more strict
than any set by state inspection
boards. This high standard he re-
CARDS as q step in advance 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 been a subject for COM
plant. The National Gamers as
sociation announces that in the
past year 5000, 100000 cans of food
were used by this country, and that
not one authentic case Of illness
was traced to commercially canned
foods.
Out of millions of cans it is in
evitable that a few should spring
a leak or otherwise be defective,
but the careful housewife can tell
at a glance If the contents of can
are unfit for use. Besides the ap-
pearance and odor of the food, the
can itself is a guide, for it will
swell if the contents become
spoiled.
These warning signals" says
Mr.. Gorrell, ARE as easily recog-
rized as the decay Of rotton ap-
pie, but to furnish extra safeguards
the National Gamers association
decided to establish voluntary in
spection service. This service is
made use OF only by Gamers who
desire it. Companies maintaining
the service are visited daily, some
times oftener, by an inspector 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.
1.-THE inspector looks to see il
only clean, sound materials are
used, and if the fish, fruits or vege-
tables have been properly washed
or trimmed in preparation fol-
canning. He also investigates the
packing of the cans. To come UP
to the National Gamers standard
each can must be as full of food as
practical, consistent with proper
sealing and processing, and with,
cut injury to the quality and ap-
pearance of the product. The
water, brine or syrup added can be
used only to fill cracks and to cover
the product.
1.-THE inspector visits every cor
rer of the plant, always with the
tbreefold purpose in mind-sanita,
ton of the cannery, sanitation OF
the product and wholesomeness Of
the product"
This undertaking Of the Gamers
! is especially worthy of recognition
because the plants that assume this
extra responsibility do so of theil
own choice. Most of the states
and some cities, have inspection
regulations, but the forces provided
| to carry out the laws are necessar-
| lily small, and a factory is visited
! by state officials only once in g
while.
Besides state and local regula'
tons the Gamers have to comply
with the pure food and drug law
This law deals entirely with the
product when it is on the market
and there is no factory supervision
by the national government as q
means of enforcement. Thus the
Gamers have been left more or less
to themselves. Fifty canning fac.
tories 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 estab
lished the sanitary inspection serv.
ice are the big centers Of Of indus
trial canning. They range from
California. the home of SO much o.
our canned fruit, to Illinois with it:
corn, and New York with its varied
products.
In each of the IA states director
is in charge of inspection. These
IA men were recently at banque
with DR.. Harvey Wiley, the foot
expert. and they found to their sur.
prise that II of them had served
under DR.. Wiley when he was chic,
1 - xl,~ L,,rnor 80 ~