1018 FOODS AND FOOD ADULTERANTS. 



The question of the use of copper in canned goods has been agitated 

 in France for nearly a quarter of a century. At first the committees 

 appointed by the Government to investigate the matter reported uni- 

 formly against the use of copper for greening. While French packers 

 were not allowed for some time to sell their copper treated goods to 

 French consumers, they were not prevented from using copper when 

 the goods were intended for export. For instance, in 1875 some Bor- 

 deaux packers labeled their goods " Green peas (or beans) greened with 

 sulphate of copper. Made specially for exportation to America and 

 England, and not sold for French use." Copper was present in some 

 of these samples to the extent of 40 ing per kilo. After this practice had 

 gone on for some time the board of hygiene of the Gironde concluded 

 to prohibit it, stating that no distinction should be made between goods 

 destined for exportation and those intended for home consumption. 

 Nevertheless, there was such a demand for goods of this kind that the 

 exigencies of commerce gradually got the better of the hygienist, with 

 the result that the French Government has finally permitted the use of 

 copper in greening canned vegetables, requiring, however, that some 

 definite mark shall be used in connection therewith. The canners, 

 however, were shrewd enough to elude the necessity of marking their 

 goods as having been greened with copper or zinc and fulfill the letter 

 of the law, if not the spirit, by marking them with some indefinite mark 

 such as a Vanglaise. The result is that the purchaser of these goods 

 has no intimation, as far as the label is concerned, of the nature of the 

 material which is employed in greening, and the canuers themselves 

 claim that if they were compelled to mark their goods as having been 

 greened with copper or zinc it would entirely destroy their sale. The 

 question here is one of sight and not of taste or digestive value, 

 and it seems that it would be wise to recommend to the consumer of 

 canned goods to be content to use them, even if they are slightly pale 

 or yellow, rather than to have them of a bright green color at the pos- 

 sible expense of health and comfort. The vast extent of the practice 

 of greening foods, together with the amounts of greening material 

 which have been found in the different cans, will be seen by consult- 

 ing the analytical details which follow. 



VESSELS USED. 



Another prominent feature of the work which we have conducted is 

 found in the examination of the vessels containing the vegetables. In 

 Germany the law requires that the tins employed for holding the 

 canned goods shall not contain more than 1 per cent of lead. In this 

 country there is no restriction whatever in regard to the character of 

 the tin employed, and as a result of this the tin of some of the cans has 

 been found to contain as high as 1U per cent of lead. There is no 

 question whatever among physiologists in regard to the effect of lead 

 salts upon the human system. The continual invest ion of rvcn minute 



