The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1923-03-16
ADDRESS BY DAIRY
ANDFOODOFF|CIAL
Council of Women Were
Given Some Very Good
Suggestions

An address by A. L. Shibbald OF
ST. Paul, assistant dairy and food
commissioner, featured the meeting
of the Mankato Council of Women
at the Y. M. G. A. hall yesterday af-
ternoon. He gave an interesting and
instructive talk and the women pres
ent learned a great deal about foods
and the food laws they did not know
before. He showed that although the
food and inspectors were working
constantly on the job and notwith-
standing many things slipped by
them. He cautioned the women to
always look at the labels, the weight
and to know something of the brand
before buying. After the talk, the
women were given permission to ask
any question which they might wish
to know and many, took advantage
of the opportunity. Mrs. J. R.
Brandrup made short talk on the
affairs of the legislature.
Prior TO the passage Of the dairy
and food laws the universal practice
was to adulterate food products.
Possibly not so much from malicious
intent but from force of habit. In
the early day milk was watered and
preserved with formaldyhide and
colored, with auatto. The meats
sold over the butchers counters con-
tanned borax boric acid or sulphite.
Soda waters, syrups and fruit
juices consisted often of salycilic
acids, artificial extracts and coal tar
dye. The artificial extracts contain
ing ascetic acid, benzoic, salycilic or
tartaric acid, cullroform, spirits of
nitre, wood alcohol, glycerine and
sacchrine. Your sorghum syrup con
tanned large percentage of glucose,
your catsup was often made from de-
cayed tomatoes reinforced with ben
zoic acid, salcycilic acid and sui
phrous acid.
Your cream of tartar was a mix
ture of alum gypsum and corn
starch. Your extracts were in the
main synthetic. The lemon con-
tanned little or no lemon and your
vanilla contained nothing derived
from the vanilla bean. The So call :
ed temperance drinks contained no
natural fruit juices but were mix
lures of tartaric acid, citric acid, SUI
gar, water, and coal tar dye. Your
coffee was a mixture of little cot
fee and a great deal of chicory and
much of roasted cereal.,
Your spices were a. mixture of
spice, saw-dust, nutshells, fruit
stones and by-products from wheat,
corn, rice and other grains. Those
were the good old days when you
could inhale a half of a ten cent can
OF pepper and not raise a sneeze.
THE trees that produced your
maple syrup were cane stocks on a
plantation in Cuba, Your jellies and
jams were often a mixture of glu-
cose, cheap gelatine, grass seed and
dye and a ten quart pail could of :
ten be purchased for fifty cents and
at an extravaganza at that price.
Your cooking oils were often mix
ed with mineral oil an the sausage
you purchased was mixture of
cheap meats with half cereal and
water and preserved with sulphites.
l believe l have led you far enough
into the chambers of horrors al
though / have just gotten overs the
threshold.
Through the activities of the
dairy and food department CO ordin-
ating with the federal bureau of
chemistry, malicious adulteration is
almost thing of the past. The
practice of misbranding of food
packages is still a common thing
and constant supervision is neces-
sary to curb the practice, or at least
hold In check those that willfully
misinterpret the laws. The most
fragrant cases of misbranding come
from food manufacturers or pack
ers taking the advice of the council
in prescribing labels
"The day will never come when
the department may be dissolved as
there will always be more work for
1t to do than can possibly be accom-
lished with a force that is limited
as to numbers.
"The inspector has stood as a
fearless guard at the door of every
home in the land and has repealed
the attack OF factor more danger
Gus to the lives and health of the
people than the onward of nations
army bent upon destruction The
food officer has submitted to the
abuse of those whom it was his duty
to regulate. He has been abused in
Greek and Latin languages. He has
been rendered hush money and
threatened with display of firearms,
but he goes about his work in a ser
enc way doing his duty. He awaits
in freezing weather for the milkman
to come along. How many hours
does he candle eggs, wade through
the rain and mud going from dairy
to dairy, inspecting milk houses. He
must have the patience Of Job, the
knowledge of a chemist and drug
gist and courage above all things"