Under prevailing conditions, therefore, the market is full of foods lawfully adulterated because labelled correctly as to their compo sition, and containing chemical preservatives lawfully permitted. It is incumbent upon the purchaser to read the labels, and decide to the best of his information whether he shall buy the goods offered at the prices asked. Some of the allowed adulterations are detailed below.
In canned, chopped or devilled meats, starch may be added to give bulk and weight, and sulphite or benzoate of soda as a preservative.
Lard may be adulterated with beef fat to which has been added sufficient cottonseed oil to give it the same melting point as lard. This adulteration is permitted if the mixture is called "Compound Lard" or °Lard Compound.* Beef extract is adulterated by an inordinate quantity of salt. Some of the "bouillon cubes" are nearly all salt. Glycerine is added in some brands, and some are preserved with sulphite. At least one brand is "expanded" with extract of yeast.
Cheese is adulterated either by the substitu tion in whole or in part of some cheaper fat for the natural butter-fat of the milk: or by making the cheese of skimmed milk. The gov ernment requires that at least 50 per cent of the water free substance of cheese shall be pure milk fat, but recognizes a variety of cheese as "skim-milk cheese" under which title so-called cheese with a cheap fat filling may be legally sold. The retail purchaser has no way of finding out just what he is getting when he buys "cheese." Flours are more or less adulterated with the fine flour of corn. This is true particularly of package flours, and especially of buckwheat flour, which sometimes has also an admixture of rye flour. The package is generally labelled truthfully, in which case the adulteration "dis appears." Unfortunately the price is usually the same as for pure buckwheat flour, and the purchaser has insufficient information upon which to decide what price is just. Rye flour is also adulterated with wheat and corn flour.
Baking powders are largely adulterated with starches or flours so that in several of the States the law requires a certain produc tion of leavening gas per pound, below which the powder is condemned as adulterated.
Canned fruits are rarely adulterated except by thickening the juice with glucose 7: saccharin formerly used for sweetoMr place of sugar is now almost universally bidden.
Fruit syrups are often preserved wit 'e zoic acid, a wholly unnecessary additi placard hung upon the soda fountain ir such syrups are used makes them lawful_ Jams and jellies have generally large r centages of glucose, a judiciously cSN coloring matter and an artificial flavor. 7t basis of most of these preparations is 1ii stock," made from the cores and peelleer apples which are canned or evaporated. Ti addition of phosphoric acid enables a jet of the mixture with a smaller proponioi fruit and a larger percentage of water. Tit adulterations would "disappear' with prx labelling, but an inspection of the goods sold in the market will show that not evc: attempt is made to comply with the law. °unwholesome" ingredient is used, and a re cution would at worst result in a light r easily paid fine.
Olive oil in any grade but the best is terated with cottonseed oil, which impar the olive oil neither flavor nor unusual ei Syrups are adulterated with glucose too often contains sulphurous acid usee bleaching it, and probably also sulphate chloride of lime. Molasses which has ter bleached with zinc and acids may carry of lead, tin and zinc which are dism..T pernicious.
Honey is so readily adulterated that wonder must be that it is ever found pc The fact is, however, that it is rarely at terated. When it is, the chief adulterant'y is invert sugar, prepared by treating sugar with a dilute acid. The high price honey offers a large margin of profit. Her in the comb is assumed to be necessarily but it is a well-known fact to beekeepers bees will store almost any kind of a liquid in any empty comb they have on Strained honey, therefore, is more likely t. pure than is comb honey, if the label c' purity.
Mincemeat, pie-fillers and similar subst offer a wide field for adulteration, as they b no particular formula of manufacture. (lit , ical preservatives and colors are the able adulterants. The law permits benne and certain coal-tar colors, if the bile states.
It is to be observed that while the foregsx specifications apply under the United law and under most of the State laws le are some States in which the laws are ail more critical, and the protection of the of sumer far more efficient. See Aammum