The Bread Wrapping War: Tacoma Women Take On City Hall
With 1,500 club members, city doctors and a health inspector behind them, Tacoma women demand that bakery bread be wrapped—and that dogs be barred from groceries.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Dogs will have to stay out of Tacoma grocery stores and markets where foodstuffs are sold when the new ordinance is passed by the council. The health and hospital committee today incorporated an anti-canine section in the new law.
Women Want Bread Wrapped.
The women of the city were considerably wrought up over the action of the committee in last week eliminating the section of the ordinance providing that all bread must be wrapped at the bakery to prevent it from becoming contaminated, and they descended in force on the committee at the city hall this morning. Eighteen women, representing over 1,500 members in the prominent women's clubs, were on hand and they gave a unanimous and emphatic testimony in favor of the wrapping of bread and all bakery supplies that must be delivered to groceries.
Mrs. O. O. Ellis, president of the Pure Food Council of Women, led the battle. She was ably supported on the floor by a dozen or more who told some very unpleasant facts concerning the present methods of delivering bread in Tacoma.
How Bread Is Contaminated.
Incidents were given of bread falling in the street and then being carried into the house. One woman said she saw a driver blow his nose with his fingers and then pick up the bread and carry it into a grocery. They demanded that the bread be wrapped or protected at the bakery, so dirt and flies cannot get to it in its journey to the consumer.
Doctors Agree.
The doctors of the city stood by the women to a man. Dr. Yocom, former health officer, said it certainly was important that the bakery supplies should be wrapped. Dr. Love seconded his statement. Dr. Sargentich, present health officer, declared it was necessary to protect little children.
"The children eat bread all the time and we ought to protect them. They are getting diseases every day from contaminated foods. It is easy for the child to get serious diseases I cannot mention here from food handled by drivers who might be afflicted. We ought to protect the children. They are especially susceptible to everything," said the health officer.
Committee Split.
The committee stood two to two on the proposition of putting the wrapping of bakery supplies in the ordinance and another fight will be made to get it in before the judiciary committee. The ordinance without this provision will be recommended to the council Wednesday night and will then go to the judiciary committee for another hearing next week. It will provide a regular food inspector who will keep an eye on all foodstuffs.
“The children eat bread all the time and we ought to protect them. They are getting diseases every day from contaminated foods.”
A century before labeled packaging and routine food inspections, Tacoma's pure-food fight was led by women's clubs who turned grocery-store disgust into city ordinance. The argument—how far government should go to keep everyday food safe—still shapes public-health debates today.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.