COPPER-GREENING IN GREAT BRITAIN. 1073 



than 100 mg of copper per kilo were to be condemned, now reads that 

 amounts of copper not exceeding 100 mg per kilo are to be allowed in 

 green vegetable preserves. 



COPPER-GREENING IN GREAT BRITAIN. 



In England the practice of greening foods with copper has never 

 been favorably regarded. In Accuin's celebrated book " A Treatise on 

 Adulteration of Food and Culinary Poisons, exhibiting the fraudulent 

 adulteration of bread, beer, etc.," better known by its startling subtitle, 

 "There is Death in the Pot," much attention was paid to the subject. 

 It seems that the cook books then in vogue recommended cooking 

 pickles and vegetables with half pence to insure their retaining their 

 green color. This practice Accum strongly objected to. A great part 

 of his book indeed was devoted to the contamination of food by copper, 

 and he cites many cases of poisoning. He states on page 353 (second 

 edition, London, 1820) that the senate of Sweden in 1753 prohibited 

 copper culinary vessels, and ordered that none but such as were made 

 of iron should be used in the Swedish fleet or armies. 



In 1851 the London Lancet founded a commission to investigate food 

 adulteration in London, placing it in charge of A. H. Hassall. The 

 investigation continued through the next three years, and the results 

 were published in book form in 1855. Hassalt found that the use of 

 copper for greening vegetables was quite common. Ten samples of 

 mixed pickles, 4 of gherkins, and 3 of pickled beans all gave good cop- 

 per tests. Hassall characterizes these results as " simply fearful." He 

 also found that 27 out of 34 samples of bottled fruits and vegetables 

 contained more or less copper. With fruit preserves, marmalades, etc., 

 33 out of 35 showed the occurrence of copper. 



In almost all of the published prosecutions of English dealers for 

 selling coppered peas convictions have been obtained. Public opinion 

 appears to be strongly against the practice. 



In 1877 and 1878 much attention was paid to this matter The Ana- 

 lyst for those years contains many articles on the subject. 



In 1890 the city authorities of Glasgow appointed a committee to 

 investigate the subject, and their report has been published in pam- 

 phlet form under the title, " Report on the Greening of French Vege- 

 tables with Sulphate of Copper." This report gives a history of the 

 practice in France and a discussion, and finally concludes: 



We are of the opinion that the process of regreening is essentially fraudulent in 

 its intention and commercial results ; that regreening with sulphate of copper cer- 

 tainly does not make vegetables more wholesome probably makes them less whole- 

 some, and in some proportions always does so; that the public in purchasing pre- 

 served vegetables should call for preserved vegetables free from salts of copper; 

 that the local authorities, as guardians of the public health, ought to como to no 

 understanding as to the sale of vegetables containing sulphate of copper, but hold 

 themselves free to act according to the circumstances of the case and the scientific 

 evidence to be had from time to time. 

 23368 No. 13 5 



