A rainbow palate
how chemical dyes changed the West's relationship with food
Bände/Inhalt:
- Food adulteration and the rise of the food chemist -- The wonder of coal tar dyes -- From dye manufacturer to food manufacturer -- The struggle to devise tests to detect dyes and assess their toxicity -- The appointment of public food analysts in Britain -- How British food chemists responded to the use of coal tar dyes -- French and German chemists seek to arbitrate the use of synthetic chemicals in food -- The US government acts against chemical dyes in food
- "Aniline and azo dyes were the first of many novel substances that chemists began to synthesize on an industrial-scale from coal-tar, a waste product of the gas industry. The new dyes, originally intended for textiles, were soon added to food, becoming one of the first laboratory-created, industrially manufactured chemicals to be used in our daily life in unexpected ways. By the time the risks and uncertainties surrounding the synthesized chemicals began to surface, the dyes were being used everywhere from clothes and furnishings to cookware and food. A Rainbow Palate examines how chemists in Europe and the US maneuvered themselves to become instrumental players in new regimes of food production, regulation, and quality testing. As increasing industrialization, international trade, and competition led to mounting concerns about food adulteration, manufacturers and retailers, politicians and the public all invoked chemists to represent their interests. As Carolyn Cobbold reveals, the widespread use of new chemical substances and techniques influenced perceptions and understanding of food, science, and technology as well as trust in science and scientists. Because the new dyes were among the earliest contested chemical additives in food, the battles surrounding their use offer striking insights and parallels into today's international struggles surrounding chemical, food, and trade regulation"--