Adulterant

[7] Adulterant use was first investigated in 1820 by the German chemist Frederick Accum, who identified many toxic metal colorings in food and drink.

His work antagonized food suppliers, and he was ultimately discredited by a scandal over his alleged mutilation of books in the Royal Institution library.

The physician Arthur Hill Hassall conducted extensive studies in the early 1850s, which were published in The Lancet and led to the 1860 Food Adulteration Act and other legislation.

[8] John Postgate led a further campaign, leading to another Act of 1875, which forms the basis of the modern legislation and a system of public analyst who test for adulteration.

[citation needed] At the turn of the 20th century, industrialization in the United States led to a increase in adulteration, which inspired some protest.

Accounts of adulteration led the New York Evening Post to parody: Mary had a little lamb, And when she saw it sicken, She shipped it off to Packingtown, And now it's labeled chicken.

However, even in the 18th century, people complained about adulteration in food:"The bread I eat in London is a deleterious paste, mixed up with chalk, alum and bone ashes, insipid to the taste and destructive to the constitution.