9781422269947

Before current laws, people had to rely on the “sight and smell” test when buying meat from a neighborhood butcher.

Q: How can you tell if food has botulism? A: Botulism toxin is so dangerous that even one taste of food contaminated with it can result in death. People can’t smell, see, or taste botulism toxin. The home canning of foods causes about 30 percent of the botulism outbreaks in America. Any survivalists who plan to can all the extra vegetables from their garden should go to this link for safety instructions: https:// www.cdc.gov/botulism/consumer.html. Commercial canned foods can also go bad, so look for these signs: The can bulges or leaks or is swollen, damaged, or cracked. When the container is opened, it gushes foam or liquid, or the food is moldy, stinky, or discolored. When in doubt, throw it out!

9 Chapter 1: The Roller Coaster History of Food Labeling in the United States