IMPROVE THE CANNED FISH PRODUCT. 



By K. Hovden, 

 Monterey, California. 



Under the present business conditions and with a scarcity of 

 tin, it behooves the canners of this country to furnish the public 

 with as good products as possible, instead of wasting time and 

 tin-plate in packing inferior goods to become a glut on the market, 

 which is a tendency shown by many canners at the present day. 



Many of our numerous canners do not seem to understand the 

 first principles of cooking, which is an essential thing for any 

 canner aside, perhaps, from those engaged in canning salmon. 

 The process of salmon canning is more or less mechanical, as it is 

 not processed nor prepared for the table in any other way but by 

 cooking in the tin. 



Sardines require greater skill and more training. The fish 

 vary in the amount of fat and protein according to the season 

 and, in the writer's opinion they should not be canned in the winter 

 and early spring, when they are spawning, as they are then too 

 poor in food value and contain scarcely any fat. 



As the Department of Agriculture is trying to educate the 

 people in the preparation of food for cattle, hogs, etc., it would 

 not be out of the way for the proper authorities to teach the 

 canners how best to prepare canned fish for human consumption. 

 It might be very interesting if samples of the products of various 

 packers could be analyzed for comparison. If then, it were 

 required to sell the product according to analysis, all packers would 

 be compelled to put up a good article, or the people would not buy 

 their products. Sometimes there is more waste product than 

 digestible food in a can and the public should not unwittingly be 

 taxed with a costly container holding such a product. 



Most of our edible fish are being utilized, but the manner in 

 which they are prepared for the public is often not on a scientific 

 basis. The products should be standardized, the government 

 should maintain schools for the education of canners and, in fact, 

 no cannery should be permitted to operate unless the man in 

 charge of the plant has sufficient education and knowledge of 

 scientific methods of preparing food products for human con- 



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