Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 February 1919 — FOOD INSPECTED BY GOVERNMENT [ARTICLE]

FOOD INSPECTED BY GOVERNMENT

Some of the Ways the Unitci States J&ifeguards the Meat Supply. LOOK FOR INSPECTION TAG Products Containing Meat as Well as Cuts Must Pass InspectionMany Women Now Being Used as Meat Inspectors. The up-to-date housewife is no longer ignorant or indifferent to the necessity of buying clean and wholesome food for her family. Few realize, ever, to what extent the efforts of our government have been responsible for the bulk of the foods sold today being, clear and untainted. With many foods, particularly meat, there formerly was no way of ascertaining whether they wer e fr ee f rom disease and dirt. One could only trust and hope as to their wholesomeness. Look for the Inspection Brand. All this has changed with meat since 1900, when the meat inspection act went into effect. Thert? is still uninspected meat on the market,, but the United States government, through the department of agriculture, has made it possible for you to buy, if you choose, that which was clean and free from disease apd decomposition, when it left the packing house. There is no Involved method in getting this kind Of meat. All that is necessary js to make sure that the blue inspection brand—“U. S. Inspd. & Psd”—is stamped on the carcass from which your cut is taken. This federal insppctlnn, under the_hnreau of animal industry, is carried *on only in packing houses which have an interstate or foreign trade. Some states and municipalities also require meat inspection in (heir packing houses. The brand which is shown in the illustration is a guarantee that the meat is wholesome and that the carcass was handled in a cleanly manner. In the case of meat products the inspection legend on the label insures that no harmful dyes, preservatives, chemicals or deleterious substances were used- —all points of much interest to the housewife. As there Is no practical method of microscopic Inspection which is even approximately effective for the detection of trichinae, it is not safe to eat pork which has not been cooked well, and so the government advises that all pork should be well cooked, otherwise it may cause disease known as trichinesis. Few in this country eat it in an uncooked form, but for the pork products which may be eaten uncooked by consumers who are ignorant or careless of the dangers _of the raw product, the government requires official establishments to subject all such pork products to processes which destroy the trichinae. The canned meats put out by the packing companies having an interstate or foreign trade are also in-

spected, and if Mrs. Housewife will take the time to read the labels on those inspected cans, she will find It well worth her while. Printed on them arejust what the product is and the exact weight. In the instance of fat, if the price per pound has been ascertained“beforehand, she can tell by the label whether she nas bought and paid for a.full two pounds, or Whether the can lacks a few ounces. The label tells the story. Make Over Old Clothes. Thrift is the watchword of the nation this year, and one of the most practical ways in which this campaign is being forwarded is work for the conservation- of clothes being done by Koine demonstration agents of the United States department of agriculture. Economical persons always have made over material which had wear left in it. but many, who could hardly afford h have bought new garments in the past because of their lack of knowledge of how to remodel old ones. Home demonstration a gents of the department of agriculture and the state agricultural colleges do not ini tend that this shall be the excuse with I any in their districts who have qld material which is worth remodeling. At Lincoln. Neb., the mayor donated space in the oty hall for the work In remodeling clothes. This room is under the supervision of the home demonstration agent and her assistants. When their work takes them elsewhere, it is in charge of trained volunteers. Posters advertising this work are being used extensively. Long tables made from boards and sawhorses are used to spread the garments on. Good patterns and some attractive made-over garments to serve as models are at hand, and advice is given on how to put to new uses any garments that are brought in. The work is proving both useful and popular. New and Tasty Sausage. Ever eat potato and nut sausage? i If you- haven’t there is a treat in store for you and at th e same time you will be helping conserve the meat supply. The recipe for this delicious dish js one vouched for by the department of agriculture. It follows: 2 cupfuls mashed % teaspoonful peppotatoes per % pound nuts of any Few grains cayenne kind Pinch celery' seed 1 egg well beaten % cupful milk (ap--1% teaspoonfuls proximately) salt % pound salt pork To the mashed potatoes add enough milk to bind them. Put nuts in boiling water to loosen skins, remove skins and put through meat grindef. Mix nuts and potatoes thoroughly and season well. Add well-beaten egg to potato mixture. Form into sausages, flour them well, put into-greased pan, and put a small .piece of salt pork on top" of each sausage. Bake in a fairly hot oven until brown (about 45 minutes). Serve with tomato sauce. Protein for One Day. A family consisting of father and mother, both doing moderately active muscular work, and three young children, -,need at least three quarts Of milk a day and not less than one pound of meat or other complete protein foods, weighing as they come from the market, or their equivalent in more milk. The extra milk may be whole or skim or buttermilk.