The Farm Table. 



671 



Preservatives in Food. 



In the day of so much canned goods — both meats, fruits and vege- 

 tables — and when fresh meats, fruits and vegetables and eggs are kept 

 so long, the housekeeper must not fail to understand the value of know- 

 ing what she is using if that is possible. Nearly every state has its pure 

 -food laws, and its pure food commissioner, whose duty it is to investi- 

 gate the class of goods offered for the public. Wisconsin is making its 

 laws felt by examining meats, canned goods, extracts, baking powders, 

 and in many cases prosecuting the offenders. In many cases the con- 

 sumer is to blame, for she demands a catsup redder than even tomatoes, 

 so they use analine dyes ; bologna sausage must be red, so the same device 

 is resorted to. She demands that things be cheaper than reason can 

 demand, so cheap cans are used and preservatives added to cover up poor 

 quality of work. There are cases when actual harm has resulted from 

 inferior goods. 



To sum up, let me put before you some articles of food containing 

 the same total nutrients and the cost of each. 



IMilk is taken as a standard, and the quart contains 4.47 oz. of total 

 nutrients, or a little over one-fourth of a pound. The weight of cheese 

 required to furnish an equal amount of nutrient is 6.4 oz. ; of baked beans 

 10.43 oz. ; of meat 14 oz. ; of eggs 18 oz. or about 9 eggs ; of bread 7 oz. 



The following table will show how the per cent of total nutrient is 

 figured : 



Food. 



Milk 



Cheese 



Baked beans 



Meat 



Eggs 



Bread 



Cost. 



SO.o to 0.7 

 0.6 

 ? 



0.14 

 0.21 

 0.2i 



Glancing at the table we can see that bread is cheap, and we know 

 it is wholesome. Eggs at 28 cents a dozen and meat at 16 cents a pound 

 are the most expensive, while milk and cheese at 16 cents a pound are 

 about the same. Cheese might be used very profitably in place of meat 

 to a greater extent than we do. Our friends across the water know its 

 value much more than we do ; they also know how to eat it and prepare 

 it with food. But this is not within the province of this paper. 



