Government OK’d kerosene in pea canning

The recent stir about finely textured beef has brought to mind an experience I had years ago in a summer job at an Oregon pea cannery where peas and a peas/carrots mix were canned for 80-some of the major brands of the day.

The non-poisonous nightshade plant, which grew as a weed among the peas, produced a seed pod that matched the size and shape of a pea, making mechanical screening impossible. In the canning process, the cooking sufficient for the pea was not sufficient for the nightshade, and any can that contained a nightshade seed pod would spoil, a condition for which they had zero tolerance.

My job was to operate the nightshade machine, a large tank of water through which all peas passed. To the water we added (horrors) small amounts of kerosene and detergent soap, causing the night shade to float, where it was skimmed off, and the peas to sink and continue on their merry way. This had the full blessing of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Today's pseudopundits might have called it “green slime” or some other smear, even though the procedures - then as now - were apparently safe and fully approved by our food watchdogs.

The peas we eat today may still have minute traces of kerosene and detergent, but I think I'll have another burger and a second helping of peas, anyway.

John McCormick

Cedar Rapids