3. The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906
It took more than two decades to pass the Pure Food and Drug Act, which was opposed by conservatives as an overreach by the federal government into commerce. When it did pass it affected only those foods and drugs which were part of interstate commerce. It came about because of the groundswell of public outrage over the reports of adulterated food produced by the emerging American food industry, including the use of chemicals such as formaldehyde as a preservative, and the presence of toxic levels of addictive substances in many of the patent medicines and notions of the day. It was the first act by the federal government to monitor America’s food supply.
In essence, the act required packaging to be truthful, informing the consumer of what was in the items they purchased for consumption. While newspapers had a great deal to do with raising the public’s attention to the dangers in their food and medicines, many opposed the federal legislation because they were dependent upon the advertising income from the drug and food industry. The act was replaced by the Food, Drug and Cosmetic act in 1938, which eliminated many of the loopholes from the 1906 Act. Nonetheless, the 1906 Act was the first action of the federal government which assured the American people they were not eating formaldehyde in their ketchup, or arsenic in their cough syrup.
