Pure Adulteration

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In the late nineteenth century, significant changes in food and agriculture sparked new tensions around how people understood, obtained, and trusted their food. This period, known as the Era of Adulteration, raised critical questions that persist today: How can consumers ensure that the food they purchase is what it claims to be? Is it acceptable to manipulate nature to create new foods, and how do we determine the safety of such practices? In Pure Adulteration, Benjamin R. Cohen explores the pure food crusades, offering insight into the origins of manufactured foods and the challenges they presented. He examines the experiences of farmers, manufacturers, grocers, hucksters, housewives, politicians, and scientists as they navigated the complex and often contentious boundaries between purity and adulteration. By the end of the nineteenth century, the concept of pure food had evolved significantly. Ultimately, there is no inherent distinction between pure and adulterated food; it is a decision we must make. While today's world differs from that of the past, the ongoing challenge of distinguishing acceptable from unacceptable food practices remains crucial in our daily choices about what we eat and how it is produced.