On November 9, 1959, Secretary Flemming announced, seventeen days before the Thanksgiving holiday, that some of the 1959 crop of cranberries contained traces of aminotriazole, a weed killer, which had been shown to cause thyroid cancer in rats in laboratory testing. Although the sale of cranberries was not banned, Flemming cautioned that if a housewife didn't know where the berries in a product came from, "to be on the safe side, she doesn't buy".Flemming acknowledged the impact of his announcement prior to the holidays, but added "I don't have any right to sit on information of this kind."
After decreased sales of cranberries during the holiday season, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined, in January, 1960, that 99% of the crop had not been contaminated. However, the incident did cause cranberry growers to cease using amitrole as a herbicide, as demanded by the farmers' largest consumer, the Ocean Spray company. Prior to 1959, cranberries were seldom consumed except during Thanksgiving and Christmas, and cranberry juice was available, but not popular. After the disastrous holiday season, Ocean Spray promoted the popularity of the juice, and the production of the berries was increased in the long run.
1:34pm
tony:
Really dug that Parker Family ... this one too!
1:39pm
Ocean Ray:
Elkin introduced Williams to the Sinshimer brothers, owners of Richmond's Tip Top Records and Allen Record Distributors. During the previous decade, Tip Top had released numerous pop and country songs by regional talent. The Sinshimers agreed to release Williams' "Loud Mufflers," but there was a catch. "They said, 'What we really want is a song about cranberries,'" the singer recalls. "Archie Elkin told me that cranberries had been tainted by harmful fertilizer and there wouldn't be any for Thanksgiving or the Christmas season. ... It wasn't my idea."
Williams didn't even write "Cranberry Blues" until the group was in the car on the way to record in the makeshift studio in the back of Elkin's store. "I wrote the song out on a scratch pad. ... Never played it till we got to the studio."
1:40pm
torsten bengtsson:
excellent music for a saturday night (as it is here in gothenburg, sweden), another beer, another toke, keep the music flowing!
2:02pm
Greg from Bloomfield:
Rex looks like he won some kind of golf tournament...
2:03pm
Realtor:
Dude stole my jacket!!!!!!!
2:05pm
Breg from Gloomfield:
Realtor, golfer, used car salesman... what is with the jacket hanging up fresh from the dry cleaner ?
2:07pm
Greg from Bloomfield:
Bloomfield rulz! Gloomfield drools! Go Bengals!
2:09pm
Otis:
The Rays from Brooklyn !Thanks for that !
2:10pm
Dr. Tormento:
Yeah , pretty sure i saw Curt Gowdy wearin that circa 72'
2:11pm
Tom:
Look sharp-feel sharp-be sharp!
2:13pm
Dr. Tormento:
Look sharp...like sharp cheese !
2:13pm
Role of Thumb:
The gaudier the color, the cheaper the fabric and tailoring.
2:14pm
On the scene:
Rex is pinching Stu Nahan's style with that jacket
2:14pm
Dr. Tormento:
yeah but you can live a mustard stain worry free life !