Safe to Eat? American Food Safety · Episode 3 of 8 · 20 min
The Poison Squad and The Jungle
A government chemist who fed young men borax and formaldehyde at a Washington dinner table, and a socialist novelist whose book about Chicago's kill floors made the nation gag, forced Washington into the food business. On June 30, 1906, two separate laws were signed, one for food and drugs and one for meat, creating two regulatory families.
Who's who
- Harvey Washington WileyUSDA chief chemist who organized the Poison Squad
- Upton SinclairSocialist writer whose 1906 novel The Jungle exposed meatpacking conditions
- Theodore Roosevelt+14 more episodesPresident who signed the 1906 food, drug and meat laws
- Charles P. NeillInvestigator whose report confirmed the Chicago meatpacking conditions
- James Bronson ReynoldsInvestigator who co-wrote the Neill-Reynolds report
Where it happens
- Chicago, Illinois+15 more episodesStockyards and meatpacking houses exposed in The Jungle
- Washington, D.C.+31 more episodesSite of the Poison Squad dinner-table trials
Timeline
- 1883Wiley becomes USDA chief chemist
- 1902Poison Squad hygienic table trials begin; first results published in 1904
- 1906The Jungle published and the Neill-Reynolds report confirms stockyard conditions
- June 30, 1906Pure Food and Drugs Act and Federal Meat Inspection Act both signed
- 1930Regulatory arm renamed the Food and Drug Administration
Still debated
Sources vary on Wiley's start date, between an 1882 offer and taking office in 1883. Sinclair's aim was labor reform while its lasting effect was food-safety reform, a gap rather than a contradiction.
Connected episodes in other series
How the U.S. Manufactured Panama in 1903 — a Treaty No Panamanian SignedPanama: Crossroads of Empires · Episode 8Also features Theodore Roosevelt
Thirty Years LateThe Physician to Soldier Pipeline · Episode 3Also features Theodore Roosevelt
The Open Door — When Women Led the Evangelical ChurchBest Supporting Actress · Episode 1
The 1922 Deal That Split a River That Didn't Have Enough WaterCalifornia and Water · Episode 3Also features Theodore Roosevelt