Regulation of Food
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The start of modern food and safety regulation began while Theodore Roosevelt was in office as President of the United States. One of the main factors that led to the regulation of food was Upton Sinclair’s book, The Jungle (1906). Originally, this book was written to investigate the terrible labor conditions of meat-packing factories. Instead, the book was written about the horrors that were packed into cans and labeled “meat.” Roosevelt was so disgusted by this book that he refused to eat meat for years. After reading this novel, Roosevelt highly encouraged congress to pass a food regulatory act. This act was called the Food and Drug Act of 1906; this law also led to the creation of the Food and Drug Administration. The Food and Drug Act of 1906 was created to prevent the manufacture, sale, or transportation of poision, mislabeled, or adultered food and drug products.
Along with the Food and Drug Act of 1906 came many other acts and laws leading up to the modern regulation of food. The Gould Amendment passed in 1913 strictly required all food packages to show weight, measure, or numerical count. After this new law was passed, food safety regulation became administered by the Department of Health and Human Services while meat inspection remained in the USDA.
Along with the Food and Drug Act of 1906 came many other acts and laws leading up to the modern regulation of food. The Gould Amendment passed in 1913 strictly required all food packages to show weight, measure, or numerical count. After this new law was passed, food safety regulation became administered by the Department of Health and Human Services while meat inspection remained in the USDA.
Wartime Rationing
Definition: Government restrictions on civilian access to food and critical materials during World War II due to the needs of the armed forces and the demands of war production
Significance: Rationing changed everyday life in America, limiting dietary choices and altering lifestyles. Official restrictions concerning the use of critical materials also affected industry's ability to supply common household products to the civilian market.
During World War II, the conflicting needs of the American civilian population and its military forces and industries gave rise to various systems for apportioning goods between the two spheres. Rationing of food and critical materials began almost immediately after U.S. entry into the war in 1941, and it became one of the defining aspects of everyday life on the home front. Industries, which were as deeply affected by rationing as were individuals, sometimes discontinued the manufacture of consumer goods due to having insufficient access to needed materials. Shortages also led some businesses to embrace programs of self-rationing in order to spread their limited goods as far as possible in an equitable manner.