Development of Food Safety in the U.S.
Food safety has been a concern since the beginning of human history. It is believed that Alexander the Great may have died from typhoid fever caused by Salmonella infection in 323 B.C. In the year 1202, King John of England declared the first food protection law in England: the Assize of Bread. This law prohibited the adulteration of bread with ingredients such as ground peas and beans. During early colonization, in the 17th century, the U.S. established its first food safety standards and regulations. In the year 1862, President Lincoln appointed a chemist by the name of Charles M. Wetherill to serve in the newly established U.S. Department of Agriculture, referred to as the Bureau of Chemistry. This would later become the Food and Drug Administration in the 20th century.
In 1850, U.S. President Zachary Taylor allegedly died from food poisoning at a Fourth of July celebration. In the late 1800s the chief chemist of the Bureau of Chemistry proposed the passage of a bill regarding national food and drug safety laws. The bill was ultimately turned down by Congress, however, this would mark the beginning of the introduction of food and safety law in the U.S.
Upton Sinclair’s muckraking novel regarding Chicago stockyards, “The Jungle”, published in 1905, was extremely influential in making both the U.S. public and government leadership aware of the need for food safety regulations and laws throughout the food production process. Sinclair’s novel exposed the unsanitary conditions in the meat-packing facilities and the commonplace use of dangerous preservatives and dyes in American meat production. In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt and Congress signed into law the Food and Drugs Act which prohibited interstate commerce of misbranded and adulterated food, drinks, and drugs, as well as the Meat Inspection Act the same day.
Shortly after, the Bureau of Chemistry split into two entities, the Food, Drug, and Insecticide Administration which handled regulatory responsibilities and the Bureau of Chemistry and Soils which handled the research aspect of food protection. Today, those two entities (though under slightly different names) remain the main enforcers of food safety in America. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) handles protection of pet food and human food other than meat, poultry and egg products, while the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) protects the safety of meat, poultry, and egg products.
https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/fda-history/milestones-us-food-and-drug-law
https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Jungle-novel-by-Sinclair
