354 BIOLOGY AND HUMAN LIFE 



possible decomposition of food, making it unfit for consumption, 

 and (2) with the possible contamination of food with disease- 

 causing bacteria. 



In the canning and packing of meats, fruits, vegetables, fish, 

 and so on, food that is not strictly fresh has often been put into 

 the containers, with its odor concealed by the use of spices and 

 other flavoring substances. Decomposed food is a real source 

 of danger, for it contains, in addition to the proteins, fats, and 

 carbohydrates for which we eat it, poisons produced by the de- 

 cay bacteria. Regulations concerning the sale of prepared food 

 in which such materials are present have been adopted by the 

 governments of nearly all the states, and the shipment of such 

 preparations from one state to another is prohibited by federal 

 laws. Many cities also have special ordinances that authorize 

 the officials to seize and destroy any such unsuitable food that 

 they may find, in addition to penalizing the dealers or manu- 

 facturers by means of fines or imprisonment. 



268. Use of preservatives. The use of preservatives, such as ben- 

 zoate of soda, in canned or prepared foods has long been a matter of 

 dispute. As a result of careful experiments on the possible injury that 

 such substances may cause it was found that, although benzoate of soda 

 is injurious when taken by human beings in large quantities, one would 

 have to eat a peck or more of catsup containing this preservative to get 

 enough to hurt him. The objection to the use of preservatives is that 

 they make possible the adding of slightly decomposed vegetables in the 

 manufacturing process. At the present time our federal laws protect us 

 only by requiring the manufacturer to state on the outside of the pack- 

 age what amount, if any, of preservative is present. The buyer has to 

 take the chance of seeing this warning on the package, and of knowing 

 its full meaning when he does see it. Moreover, this regulation applies 

 only to merchandise that passes from one state to another. 



269. Food infection. The infection of food by disease germs 

 is a purely local problem, since it has to do with food brought to 

 the consumer day by day. Many cities have adopted regulations 

 requiring dealers to protect their wares from exposure to dust, 

 insects, or other means of infection, such as handling by 



