Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1925-08-27
MAKE PROBE OF
PUREFOODLAW
Inspection Stabilizes
Public Confidence in
Product
(By United PressJ

the widely heralded pure food and
drug act of 1906 made the foods
that we eat today-nineteen years
after it's passage?
Have faulty definitions by courts
tended to nullify some of its pro-
visions, as recently charged by
DIR. Harvey w. Wiley, dean of
American pure food enforcement? ?
Prof. Fl. A. Schuette, of the
University of Wisconsin chemis-
try department has been studying
the question.
Men in the food industry now
realize that food inspection stab
lilies public confidence in their
product. Today, food control has
settled into routine of quiet in
Ispection and prsecutin of viola
tions. Three forces-state and
federal bureaus and industrial
associations-hav learned that
they can cooperate, and the re-
suit is gratifying"
That adulteration does still exist
however, Prof. Schuette is aware,
but it is more subtle in form and
therefore less easily detected
Deliberate adulteration now
takes the form of a scientifically
directed sophistication," he points
out. Frequently excessive brine
is put into sauer kraut and oy-
sters. So-called sugar-cor is Of
ten made from scrapings from the
cob. Sometimes we buy ginger
from which the valuable resins
have been extracted.
"Also We buy canned tomatoes
to which have been added water
and pure pulp and juice from skins
and cores. Field corn is often
shipped as sweet corn and dried
peas are sometimes canned as
sweet peas.
Deceptive labelling, too, is
practiced. Cans of cotton seed oil
for example, are labeled with pic
torial Italian scenes to make the
buyer believe he is buying olive
oil. Frequently enforcement of
honest labelling is difficult because
of the failure of the law to de-
fine deceptive labels"
How the law sometimes fails in
definition is illustrated by the So
called cider vinegar label, Prof.
Schuette explained. A common
violation of the spirit of the law,
he said, is selling pure" cider
vinegar which is made, not from
cider itself, but from an extract of
evaporated apples.
'"The sale of short weight or
short volume package food is an
other common deception" says
the Wisconsin chemist. prints of
butter weighing less than 16
ounces but bearing no statement
to indicate the weight is quite
common"
Earlier methods of trying to
guarantee pure food is illustrated
by Prof. Schuette's description Of
medieval pure food laws Some of
them he quoted as follows:
amy man or woman who sells
rotten eggs shall be bound to the
pillory and street urchins shall be
given the rotten eggs that they
may pelt the offender to the amuse
ment of the people.
ANY man or woman who sells
butter mixed with beets, stones, or
other objects with the purpose of
increasing the weight, shall be
arrested and put in the pillory.
Then the butter shall be placed
upon his or her head and there
remain until it shall have been
melted by the heat of the sun.
The dogs shall be allowed to lick
them.
ANY man or woman who sells
milk which is watered shall have
funnel thrust into his or her
mouth and be compelled to drink
so much watered milk as in the
| Judgment of the surgeon can be
horna without danger to life"