Theodore Roosevelt
Changing Today To Make A Better Tomorrow
The Not So "Good Ol' Days"
Before Theodore Roosevelt’s Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, large companies were unregulated and unchecked when it came to food and drug manufacturing. The meat and other food industry were riddled with poor and unclean storage, unsanitary environments, and disease filled rodents. On the other hand, the medicine manufacturers were not forced to follow any regulations, resulting in poorly labeled medication.
working conditions
The food in the meat industries was not the only thing that was being mistreated. Workers were paid poorly, worked in unsafe conditions, and were treated as if they were less than human.
Media
The media saw what President Roosevelt was doing and showed their support, as you can see in this comic. The group of the media that supported the fight against unsanitary conditions were known as the muckrakers.
Medicine
Medication was not properly labeled as medication is today. Most bottles or containers had no ingredient lists or any backing to support the claims made on the label.
The Act itself
The Pure Food and Drug Act states:
For preventing the manufacture, sale, or transportation of adulterated or misbranded or poisonous or deleterious foods, drugs, medicines, and liquors, and for regulating traffic therein, and for other purposes.
Why Roosevelt made his stand
Roosvelt Pure Food and Drug Act
The Big Change
After this act, any drugs that were deemed dangerous or addicting had to be listed on the label which helped open the public's eyes to how dangerous the products that they were buying really were. Another change that took place when the act was established is that there was a new group of inspectors dedicated to protecting consumers from unsafe products.