374 Our Surroundings 



and reheating in a covered dish. In fact, a skillful cook can make 

 nearly every kind of left-over food palatable. 



Adulteration of Foods. Adulteration of food, according to 

 the definition in the Pure Food and Drugs Act, passed by 

 Congress in 1906, means : 



1. The substitution, in whole or in part, of any substance for 

 any article of food that would lower or injuriously affect 

 the strength or quality of that food ; for example, glucose, 

 a sugar-like compound found in fruits or manufactured 

 mainly from starch, is used for sugar. 



2. The abstraction of any valuable constituent, in whole or in 

 part, from an article of food; for example, fat from the 

 cream of milk. 



3. The coating or staining of an article of food whereby its 

 inferiority might be concealed ; for example, tea colored 

 green with sulphate of copper. 



4. The addition of any ingredient which might render an 

 article of food injurious to health; for example, use of 

 saccharin, an intensely sweet drug obtained from coal tar, 

 to sweeten canned fruit. 



A drug is deemed adulterated (1) if it differs from the 

 recognized standard of strength or purity; (2) if its strength or 

 purity falls below the professed standard or quality under which 

 it is sold. 



The term "food" includes all articles used for food, drink, 

 confectionery, condiment, or relish. The term "drug" includes 

 all medicines and preparations recognized by proper authority and 

 intended to be used for the cure or prevention of disease. In 

 the case of confectionery, it is considered adulterated if it con- 

 tains talc or other mineral, any poisonous color or flavor, any 

 spirituous liquor, any drug, or any other ingredient detrimental 

 to health. 



The law also requires manufacturers of food and medicines to 

 make known on a label attached to the article the exact percentage 

 of the substances it contains. This enables the buyer, by reading 

 the label, to know what makes up the article he purchases. 



Before this law went into effect milk, sugar, coffee, ice cream, 

 and olive oil were frequently adulterated. Water was added to 



