high school dropouts

A lot of America’s food may have been very hazardous, but there were no laws or guidelines on how food and drugs should be manufactured in the early 1900s. During the progressive era, people began to worry about the things that might have contaminated food while being processed. People became scared to eat, because they never knew if their food might have been contaminated. Albert Beveridge gave the president, Theodore Roosevelt, the book “The Jungle.” He was disgusted and knew something had to be done. The book made many people in the United States convert to vegetarianism. In 1906, President Roosevelt pushed for the Meat Inspection Act. This act required the meatpackers to be more strict on cleanliness. The Pure Food and Drug Act took effect on January 1, 1907. The meat inspection act required the Department of Agriculture to inspect all of the animals raised in order to be slaughtered and sold for people to eat. Food processing at this time was very bad. Spoiled meat and other foods, which were being used may have been poisoned.
Drug processing was also very bad during this era. Companies mislabeled medicines and did not clearly state what actually was in the medicine. The drugs had poisons in them and some of the drugs might not have been the strength that it would read on the label. The Pure Food and Drug Act required that certain drugs, including alcohol, cocaine, heroin, morphine, and cannabis be accurately labeled.
The Food and Drug Administration is a federal agency that is responsible for the safety of the nation’s food supply. The FDA makes sure food labels are truthful and contain reliable information.