Historic, archived document

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NOT FOR PUBLICATION

Subject: "The Pure Food Law arid the Housewife." Information from Katharine A Smith, Food, Drug, and Insecticide Administration; menu and recipe for "Hopping John" from Bureau of Home Economics, U. S. D. A.

Bulletin available: "Aunt Sammy's Radio Recipes."

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Every now and then, some one asks: ""'hat has become of the Pure Food Law we once heard so much about? Has it been repealed, or what?"

The answer is: "The law, strengthened by three amendments, still stands on the statute books, and is being enforced quite as energetically as ever."

However, the pure food law is no longer entrusted to the Bureau of Chemistry, as it was at first, but th the Food, Drug, and Insecticide Administration of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. The Food, Drug, and Insecticide Administration of your Department of Agriculture was created in 1927 to enforce six laws controlling traffic in foods, drugs, insecticides, caustic poisons, and naval stores. The Food and Drugs Act is far and away the best known of these six laws.

How does the Pure Food Law affect the housewife? By making it illegal to manufacture or sell adulterated or misbranded food; by reqtiiring a statement of the quantity of contents on all packages of foodstuffs except very small ones.

What does the term "adulterated" mean? Legally, a, food is "adulterated"

1. If it is made wholly or in part from filthy or decomposed material, for example, catsup made from rotten tomatoes;

2. If it lias been cheapened by the addition of some less valuable material, as an article sold as coffee but containing chicory;

3. If it is colored to look as if it were of a higher grade than it really is, as 'Tater noodles colored to look like egg noodles, and

4. If certain valuable parts are removed, as skim milk offered for sale as whole milk.

The Pure Food Law has made the housewife label-conscious; nowadays, when Mrs. Brown goes to market, to buy her groceries, she reads the labels on package foods and bottles. Labels, in order to be considered truthful under the law, not only must refrain from telling an out-and-out lie, but also must not

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convey any erroneous impress ion. For instance, it is unlawful to sell a salad oil, like cottonseed oil, -under a label adorned with a picture of olive trees.

The food supply of the United States is now generally considered to be purer than ever before. Every illegal practice in the food industries is checked as soon as it appears. And the assurance of a pure food supply costs each man, woman, and child in this country less than one cent each year.

Of course, the Food, Drug, and Insecticide Administration must keep its eagle eyes on all parts of the country, must always be on the look-out for the un- scrupulous individual who thinks that he can "put one over" on the public, and get away with it. Some manufacturers still try to evade the provisions of the pure food law, and others are either too careless or too indifferent to pack fairly and honestly. During the year 1929 some 1200 prosecution', and seizure actions involving foods and drugs were brought under the food and drugs act.

In connection with the punishment of Pure Pood Law offenders, I was interested in discovering that adulteration of foods began long, long ago. The Greek writers made complaints. Pliny the Elder stated in 77 A. D. , 1S53 years ago, that bakers added white earth to flour. In the Middle Ages, German authorities fought the manace with whipping posts and ducking stools.

In Germany, in 1481, a feudal lord enforced an unusual decree, to ounish those who adulterated foods. His decree read as follows:

"Any man or woman who sells watered milk shall have a funnel thrust into his or her mouth, and be compelled to drink so much watered milk as in the judgment of the surgeon can be borne without danger to life. Or any man or woman who sells butter mixed with beets, stones, or other objects with the object of increasing the weight, shall be arrested and put in the pillory. Then the butter shall be placed upon his or her head, and there remain until it shall have been melted by the heat of the sun. The dogs shall be allowed to lick them, and the people may scold them with any words it pleases them, provided that neither God, the King, nor any person be thereby libeled. If the weather is cold, a fire shall be built in front of the guilty one. Any man or woman who sells rotten eggs shall be bound to the pillory, and to the street urchins shall be given rotten eggs, that they may therewith pelt the offender, to the amusement of the people, but it shall be forbidden to throw at them object than rotten eggs."

Plow would you like that? Pot much — unless you were a street urchin, and had a secret longing to throw rotten eggs.

3y this time everybody has had time to find a pencil, and a piece of paper, so, if it ' s O.K. with you, we'll talk about dinner. Something new today, at least it was new to me. Uncle Ebenezer says it really is an old dish, and one of his favorites, "Hopping John. 11 Ever hear of it? Everybody at our house says it's delicious. Besides Hopping John, we're serving Stewed Tomatoes and onions; Horseradish; Cabbage Salad; and Paked Peach Dumplings.

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dish made of b lack-eyed peas and rice, and salt pork

Hopping John is a Here is the recipe, all ready to be written.

John:

Eight ingredients, for Hopping

1 cup dried b lack-eyed peas

1/2 cup rice

Boiling water

1 cup diced salt pork

1/2 large onion, choppec 1-1/2 teaspoons salt Tabasco sauce, and Pepp er

Eight ingredients; check them please: (Repeat)

V.ash the -oeas well. Cook them in a covered pan, in 3 or more cups of water, with 1/2 teaspoon salt, until the peas are tender, but not broken. TTash the rice. Cook it for about 20 minutes, in 2 quarts of boiling water, to winch 1 teaspoon salt has been added. As soon as the grains are soft to the center drain the rice and run cold water through it to wash off the surplus starch and kee-o the grains whole and separate. Brown the diced salt pork until crisp then remove it from the skillet, and cook the onion in the fat for a few minutes. Add the rice, peas, fried salt pork, and seasonings, and stir until hot and well mixed. Serve with horseradish or chili sauce.

And there you are — ready to prepare this Southern dish for today's dinner. 3y the way, I suppose everybody understands that the Baked Peach Dumplings are to be made with halves of canned peaches.

Once more, let's chec

the menu: Hopping John, Stewed Tomatoes and Onions;

Horseradish; Cabbage Salad; and Baked Peach Dump lings

Wednesday - "The Problem of Sweets for Children."