PURE FOOD LAWS 117 



jelly or canned corn may be too minute to harm us, but the 

 quantity consumed in catsup and jelly and canned corn day after 

 day is not minute and can seriously harm the body. When- 

 ever we find boric acid, sulphurous acid, and other similar 

 chemicals, we may be sure that they are used as a substitute 

 for careful canning, as a makeshift for a clean, well cooled ice 

 chest, or as an attempt to sell actually decaying food under 

 the disguise of a false freshness. 



Pure Food Laws. So much harm has been done by food pre- 

 servatives that most states have made Pure Food Laws. These 

 laws require manufacturers to state on the labels of their boxes 

 or jars what preservatives have been used and in what quanti- 

 ties. But most people never read labels, and many who do, 

 are ignorant of the danger of the chemicals listed on the labels. 

 Some of the most widely sold catsups bear the statement that 

 borax, alum, or sodium benzoate are used in them as preserva- 

 tives. Their sale continues either because people do not read 

 the labels or because they do not know that these preservatives 

 are undesirable in foods. 



