634 MISCELLANEOUS FARM SUBJECTS 



EFFECT OF PURE FOOD LAWS. 



In North Dakota, where they have had a pure food law since 

 1901, the effect of its enforcement upon the quality of goods im- 

 ported into and sold in a state may be studied. Under the direc- 

 tion of E. F. Ladd, chemist of the Experiment Station, over 1,600 

 samples have been examined. There has been a marked decrease 

 in the percent of adulteration in nearly every line. 



Today short weight and sloppy goods are largely a thing of 

 the past. The agitation in favor of a net weight proposition has 

 done much to improve the quality as well as the actual amount of 

 food material contained in die cans themselves. The principal in- 

 tentional violators of the law at the present time are apparently the 

 catalog houses which still continue to ship goods into the state 

 direct to the consumer and therefore cannot be reached by this de- 

 partment. The enactment of a national law will, very materially 

 reduce the sale of the class of goods now found to be in violation of 

 our food law. (N. D. Ex. St. Bui. 53, 57, 63, 69.) 



COLORING MATTER. 



Artificial color is added to many of our food products. Some- 

 times these coloring substances are harmless vegetable substances, 

 but oftener aniline or coal-tar dyes or metallic salts are used. They 

 are used in jellies and jams, in catsup, in pickles, in butter, in 

 milk, in canned vegetables, and in meats usually the chopped 

 meats such as Hamburg steak and sausage, in soda fountain syrups 

 and many so-called temperance drinks. 



In addition to any influence on digestion and health which 

 the coal-tar colors may have, a certain amount of arsenic is added 

 to them by some methods of preparation. In some colors, however, 

 prepared with a special view to use in foods, arsenic is practically 

 or entirely absent. The amount of coloring matter necessary to 

 give a food the desired tint is very small, and the danger to health 

 resulting from its use should not be exaggerated. The question of 

 'fraud, however, remains, and the use of colors enables the manu- 

 facturer to give inferior products the appearance of high-priced 

 goods, or they may be used merely to produce an appearance more 

 attractive to the eye and in accordance with popular taste, even 

 though the best materials are employed. 



Certain foods have associated with them certain colors, and we 

 often judge the condition of the food by the color it has. Bolted 

 flour, granulated sugar and starch are white. Vegetables have their 

 characteristic colors. Fruits present different shades of color by 

 means of which the ripeness of the respective fruit is judged. The 

 richness of milk is sometimes judged by the yellow tinge from the 

 globules of butter fat it contains. Fresh meats have a color distinct 

 from spoiled meats. 



In the market foods are selected largely by their color. When 

 this not pleasing the manufacturer often supplies the color, or 

 changes it to the color of a better article. Canned vegetables have 

 their color fixed by a mordant, as copper salts or alum, and instead 

 of the dull color, a pleasing green tint is given the goods. 



