Image – Ghastly Gastronomy

Chapter 20

Ghastly Gastronomy

Published in 1906, The Jungle shocked most readers about the sickening conditions of the meatpacking industry. Sinclair had hoped the novel would inspire a socialist revolution, but instead readers were appalled by the abysmal conditions of the meatpacking industry in Chicago. Sinclair himself noted, “I aimed at the public’s heart and by accident hit it in the stomach.”  After President Theodore Roosevelt read the novel, he launched a federal investigation into Sinclair’s claims, which were verified.  This led to the passage of the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act later that year.