A small evaporated milk company which opened in Kent in 1899 grew to become the nationally known Carnation Company. Canned milk had a small market at first, but was soon accepted by hungry babies and gold-rush miners alike. By 1926, the company had six Seattle-area dairies and six local evaporated milk plants, plus 24 evaporated milk plants elsewhere in the country.

This label for Carnation unsweetened evaporated milk indicates that the product has been "irradiated." In the mid-1930s, milk compnaies began fortifying milk with Vitamin D by means of an irradiation process using ultra-violet rays, exposing milk to the light from a carbon arc lamp for a few seconds.

Label is red and white label with green printing, image of 3 carnations and the text; text at the top says Irradiated Carnation "From Contented Cows"