HEARING THE CONSUMER? THE LABORATORY, THE PUBLIC, AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF FOOD SAFETY IN BRUSSELS (1840S - 1910S).

Item request has been placed! ×
Item request cannot be made. ×
loading   Processing Request
Read Online Read More Add to Saved list
  • Additional Information
    • Subject Terms:
      BELGIUM; BRUSSELS (Belgium)
    • Abstract:
      The article examines the role of consumers in the cultural construction of food safety in Brussels, Belgium during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. According to the authors, chemical laboratories for the analysis of foodstuffs were built in part to reassure the public about the quality of their food, a function they performed despite the low quantities of food actually analyzed there. It is suggested that as more kinds of foodstuffs were analyzed, literature on food safety was increasingly directed towards the populace as consumers rather than as common people. Topics discussed include the adulteration of food, newspapers, and paternalism.