The Meat Inspection Act of 1906

Before the 20th century, America meat products lacked proper methods of inspecting meat obtained from beef, swine, chicken, and goats after slaughter. In addition to that, the Meat Inspection Act created sanitary standards established for slaughterhouses and meat processing plants that are used today.

President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Meat Inspection Act of 1906 into federal law and it changed the face of healthcare and food safety legislation in America from that point on. The Secretary of Agriculture was now authorized to inspect and condemn any meat packing product, which was found to be unfit for human consumption standards. This law was motivated for the protecting of Americans and their diets. Before the Meat Inspection Act of 1906 was passed, food products did not have explanatory labels with full accuracy (although not everyone complied). Despite this, other laws were passed to back up the 1906 meat inspection federal law such as the Pure Food and Drug Act passed on June 30, 1906.

The Chicago meat packing industry was fully affected by the Meat Inspection Act which was a part of the Progressive Era's period of national reforms from the 1890s - 1920s. Some politicians opposed the waste and corruption in regard to American worker's rights and the protection of the American citizen in general. This was also a part of a war on food borne illnesses such as Salmonellosis, Escherichia coli (Coli), Beef Tapeworms, Pork Tapeworms, and the Diphyllobothrium dendritcum (the salmon tapeworm).

Famous author Upton Sinclair was unique in his position with how he would come to influence federal legislation on food and drugs in America during the Progressive Era. In his book The Jungle, the Chicago meat packing industry was placed under extreme scrutiny. It even spurred President Roosevelt to send in labor commissioner Charles P. Neill to look into matters with how things were done in the meat industry.