Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-05-22
By Chris Mothisen

By Chris Mothisen
An attempt TO define bread-a
proceeding which may have sub
stantial long effect on the
Nations diet-will be resumed
here tomorrow by the Food and
Drug Administration.
Hearings on the matter-spe-
cifically, an effort TO arrive at
fixed standards for bread and
certain other bakery products
have been In a two-week recess. In
progress since last fall, they re-
present resumption of a project
the Federal agency started before
the war.
Standards OF identity" are
what the Food and Drug Admin
istration is seeking. In other
words. it is trying to assemble
list of basic ingredients and their
proportions-the things which,
when combined by baker, pro-
duce a safe product meeting the
publics conception of bread.
What the public expects in
bread is a major test being ap~
piled to all proposed standards.
Another is safety for day-after-
day human consumption.
The administration is not pro-
posing to require all bakers to
make the best-tasting, most-nutri-
tive bread possible. The aim is
minimum standards. II set Of
standards eventually is approved,
bakers failing to conform there
after will not be able to sell their
sub-standard products in inter-
state commerce.
Produces Britter Quarrel.
Although 1t would appear rela-
lively simple task to get bakers,
nutritionists and food chemists TO-
gether to decide on minimum
quality pattern. the hearings have
produced a bitter. many angled
quarrel.
The dispute involves various
synthetic food emulsifiers. some
times referred to broadly as
shortening offenders"
What these chemicals do-and
even what they are supposed to do
is q center of controversy.
The newest are polyoxyethelene
compounds. Others in use longer.
are mono and di-glycerides.
These are some of the angles Of
the problem:
/. What is the relative i'm
portance to the housewife buy
ing bread Of (a) nutritive value.
(b) appearance, (c) texture, Cd
taste? In what balance should
these elements be arrayed in the
standards?
2. Are the synthetic emusifiers
safe on long range basis? What
will be their effect on national
health? 4
3. Will general use of the syn
thetics enoanger the agricultural
economy through sharp reductions
in demand for natural products?
There are no Federal standards
for bread products in effect now.
None has been at any time.
The synthetics. some of which
first were produced in commercial
quantities during the war. now are
being used by many bakeries.
Bread Kept Soft Longer.
Some of the new compounds
have the effect of keeping bread
soft longer than when they are
not used. This has raised the
questions in the hearings:
If soft bread is not necessarily
recently made bread, will not the
housewife be deceived? Is the
distinction important?
Defenders of the newest syn
5thetic emulsif1ers chemicals
which help to make oil and water
mix-have insisted at the hearings
that the products:
/. Have been proved safe In
clinical tests on animals and hu-
mans over a period of several
years.
2. Have food value approximately
equal to usual bread solids"
3. Are not intended to replace
ingredients heretofore used in
bread but merely to improve taste,
texture and keeping qualities.
Those who urge that such syn
thetics should not be admitted to
the standards, contend there has
not been sufficient time to APP
praise the food value and possible
long-range toxic effects of the
chemicals.
The Council on Foods and Nu-
triton of the American Medical
Association stated, in part,
through its chairman, DR.. Will
liam j. Darby, that 1t "views with
considerable apprehension the
widespread addition of certain
surface-active compounds (short-
ening extenders) to a variety OF
foods, especially bread and other
bakery products ..
FRESHNESS" Impaired.
"The use in bread imparts
similar properties OF freshness
as does the use of non-fat milk
solids :.
!. Available knowledge of the
possible toxicity of these SUBJ
stances Is fragmentary."'
4 A "dilution" of nutritive value
of bread could result from "a de-
crease In the amounts of fat. milk
solids and In some cases eggs,
required to produce an accept
able product" the council COM
fnented.