The adulteration of food.

Date:
1855
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The adulteration of food. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    Coffee, Sugar, Oatmeal. 1855.] sible so charitably to deal with the conduct of the imposition of potato starch for arrowroot, the watering of milk, the mixture of oil of vitriol with vinegar, the carelessness of allowing poisonous copper to become mixed with pickles during their preparation, or of criminally adding them to heighten their green aspect. Can we stigmatize as otherwise than deserving of punishment such dealers as mix rubbish with their spices, who colour cayenne pepper with poisonous red lead, who manu- facture bottled fruits and vegetables mixed up with poisonous ingre- dients, either intentionally or through negligence? Of coffee, Dr. Hassall says— From an examination of this table, it appears that of the thirty-four cof- fees, thirty-one were adulterated; that chicory was present in thirty■ one of the samples ; roasted corn in twelve ; beans and potato-flour each in one sample; that in sixteen cases the adulteration consisted of chicory only; that in the remaining fifteen samples the adultera- tion consisted of chicory, and either roasted corn, beans, or potatoes ; that in many instances the quantity of coffee present was very small; while in others it formed not more than one-fifth, fourth, third, half, and so on, of the whole article. From calculations which we have made, we are satisfied that the gross aggregate of the adulte- rations detected did not amount to less than one-third of the entire bulk of the quantity purchased. Now, on referring to the revenue returns, we find that the sum derived from the duty on coffee for 1849, was £709,632 3s. 1 id., an amount which we have no hesitation in saying might be increased by vigilance in the detection of the adulteration of this important article, and by punish- ment of the fraud when detected, very nearly to £1,000,000. In reference to brown sugars, we find it stated that of thirty-six samples, disgusting looking acari (small insects) were present in thirty-three ; sporules and filaments of fungus in at least ten cases; that grape sugar was detected in the whole thirty-six sugars, often in very considerable amount; that the whole of the sugars contained vegetable albumen; that woody fibre, pieces of sugar-cane, stones, wood, and starch or flour were to be found in most of the specimens. Arrowroot, we are told, was adul- terated, in twenty-two out of fifty samples, with potato-flour, sago- meal, and tapioca-starch. Of forty- two specimens of pepper, one half was adulterated with wheat-flour, linseed-meal, pea-flour, mustard- seed, &c. Genuine mustard, we are informed, whatever be the price paid for it, is scarcely ever to be obtained ; that of forty-two samples submitted to examination, every one was adulterated; that the adultera- tion practised in every case was the same in kind, varying only in de- gree, and consisted in the admix- ture of genuine mustard with im- mense quantities of wlieaten Hour, highly coloured with turmeric. Of fifty-six samples of cocoa eight only were genuine, sugar being used for adulterating purposes in forty-three specimens, sometimes nearly to the extent of fifty per cent. Starch also entered into the composition of forty-six samples, the quantity varying from five to nearly fifty per cent., and consisting either of wheat, potato-flour, sago-meal, &c., or mixtures of these in various pro- portions ; while in other cases cocoa was adulterated with chicory. Of sixteen specimens of oatmeal, thirteen were adulterated with bar- ley-meal. This exposure is one pregnant with import to the poor, since oatmeal is far more nutri- tious than barley-meal; but the following letter exhibits the cause of the villany, and upon whom the fraud falls :— 1 Since your able analyses have taken place, it has struck me that I may be able to give you a little information as to an article of food which is adulte- rated to a most awful extent—viz., oat- meal. I will first mention oatmeal as sent into workhouses, prisons, and cha- ritable institutions, which are generally taken at contract prices. I enclose one for the parish of , for 1848, where I find the oatmeal was taken at 14s. per cwt. by , and by reference to my stock-book I find the market-price was 17s. 6d. per cwt; thus the oatmeal was reduced 3s. 6d., and left an excellent pro- fit. Well, at that time I was trying for all the contracts in London, and could not succeed, my prices being generally about 4s. dearer than anyone’s else. This was a mystery to me. By accident I found out oatmeal was adulterated with barley-flour, which is bought at
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