p. 605 | Oleomargarin by H. P. BUZZELL

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jun 26, 1913

Oleomargarin

By H. P. BUZZELL

H. P. BUZZELL

IT was recently the writer's privilege of taking a trip through Packington, as the section of Chicago exclusively devoted to the meat-packing industry is known. About one square mile of almost the exact center of the city is occupied by several of the largest packing concerns of the country, prominent among which are the Swifts and Armours. In this square mile 40,000 persons devote their entire time to the slaughtering of animals and the preparation of their flesh for human consumption. Some idea of the magnitude of this business may be gained from the fact that in the year 1912 there were slaughtered and shipped from Packington 8,000,000 hogs, 6,000,000 sheep, 2,650,000 cattle, and 500,000 calves. It takes more than one million dollars a day to carry on this immense business. While it is true that each animal must be passed by a government inspector, when we saw the rapidity with which the work was done we must confess that our confidence in that inspection was not increased, neither did it increase our assurance that the animals were free from disease simply because they were impressed with the government stamp.

During the past few years the manufacture of oleomargarin has grown to be one of the most important branches of the meat-packing industry. During the first three months of 1913 there were manufactured in Chicago 25,280,713 pounds of this substitute for dairy butter, enough each day to fill eight freight-cars of 40,000 pounds capacity.

Public sentiment is rapidly undergoing a change in regard to this compound, and it is now accepted largely on its own merits. This has been brought about by an extensive advertising campaign on the part of the manufacturers, and by the fact that it has been indorsed by some eminent authorities and also by the public health commissioners of several of our large cities. Then, too, it sells for about one third less than a good grade of butter, which is quite an item with the average consumer.

Although it is being rapidly accepted as a proper article of diet, comparatively little is known as to the ingredients entering into its composition. According to the guide who conducted us through the manufacturing plant, oleomargarin is composed of oleo-oil (from which it takes its name), neutral oil, vegetable oil, cream, ordinary butter, whole milk and salt, with a little coloring added. It sounds very innocent, does it not? Upon further investigation we found that the “oleo” was extracted from beef suet, and the “neutral” from leaf-lard. These two ingredients form the basis of the product, the other elements being added to give it bulk and weight, and to make it approach as nearly as possible to the accepted standard of dairy butter. The vegetable oil mentioned is a refined grade of peanut- or cottonseed-oil.

While from the standpoint of the world at large there is nothing objectionable that enters into the composition of this product, with our light upon the subject of health reform, the teaching of God's Word in regard to the use of animal fat, and the directions against the use of swine's flesh, it would seem that we who are striving to attain the highest standard of physical, mental, and spiritual attainment would better omit it from our dietary.

Chicago, Ill.