Pure Food and Drug Act

What it is

The Pure Food and Drug Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906. It banned the sale across state lines of adulterated or mislabeled food and drug products and created federal inspectors to enforce the rules.

Why it matters

The law followed public outrage sparked by muckraking journalists, especially Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle, which exposed unsanitary practices in the meat-packing industry. Roosevelt signed this act the same day as the Federal Meat Inspection Act, making both central achievements of his Square Deal program. The act marked one of the first times the federal government regulated business to protect ordinary consumers, and it eventually led to the creation of the Food and Drug Administration.

Look closer

• What problems in the food and drug industries was this law trying to fix?
• Why might journalists and the public have had more influence than lawmakers alone in getting this law passed?
• What does the law's focus on labeling, rather than banning certain ingredients outright, tell you about the limits of the reform?