Food manufacturers appealed from the Secretary to President
Roosevelt, who appointed a board of consulting scientific
experts to make an examination. This board also used
““poison squads,” and brought in a report that in the small
quantities used in preserving food, benzoate of soda could
not be proved injurious to health. The Secretary of Agri-
culture then issued a new ruling permitting the use of ben-
zoate of soda if the percentage used in the food so preserved
was truthfully stated on the label.
This is mentioned as one of the incidents which the pre-
servation of food has made prominent in the United States.
In the following pages will be found particulars of a num-
ber of Pittsburgh firms which have become prominent in the
preservation and marketing of food products.
AMERICAN FRUIT GROWERS, INC.
The American Fruit Growers, Inc., is a nation-wide dis-
tributing system for fresh fruits and vegetables, with its
center at Pittsburgh. The company was incorporated under
the laws of the state of Delaware in June, 1919, with an
authorized capital of $10,000,000 represented by 100,000
shares 79, cumulative preferred stock of a par value of $100,
and 400,000 shares common stock of no par value; 54,447
shares of preferred stock and 57,86614 shares of common
stock are now outstanding. The officers of the company are:
J. S. Crutchfield, President; R. B. Woolfolk, Vice President
and Chairman of the Board; W. H. Baggs, Vice President
and General Manager; M. E. Simond, Secretary and Treas-
arer; Alexander Murdoch, Comptroller.
In addition to its major marketing activity, the company
owns and operates production properties in most of the lead-
ing fruit and vegetable districts of the United States, with
an acreage of 14,077, and a book value of $4,787,950.51 as of
December 31st, 1924. Any estimate of the value of American
Fruit Growers, Inc., to the Pittsburgh district must begin,
prior to 1919, with a firm which pioneered in the national
distribution of perishable fruits and vegetables. Crutchfield
