Your grandfather didn’t eat the nasty stuff that they put in food products nowadays. He more than likely ate pretty wholesome foods.
God only knows what all the crap we consume nowadays is going to do to all of us in the future.
Perhaps his great great great grandfather...
Throughout the year, and this month in particular, USDA celebrates 150 years of existence. The legislation that established USDA was signed on May 15, 1862, by President Abraham Lincoln. At that point, food safety wasn’t a major concern for the People’s Department.
The turning point for domestic meat inspection really came in 1905 and 1906, after Upton Sinclair published The Jungle. The details of the book described unsanitary working conditions in a Chicago meatpacking house, putting meat consumers at risk for disease. This led to the passing of legislation providing for meat inspection. Over the years, Congress passed the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act and the Egg Products Inspection Act, which the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) enforces.
Here's some historical FACTS for consumption...
FSIS HISTORY
The timeline below details the history of FSIS and its predecessors, from 1862 to the present. To learn about current agency initiatives, explore other sections of our website. There's always something new!
The Formation of USDA's Division of Chemistry In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln founded the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and appointed a chemist, Charles M. Wetherill, to lead USDA's Division of Chemistry, which in 1901 became the Bureau of Chemistry.
In 1883, Harvey W. Wiley, M.D., was appointed chief chemist at USDA. Wiley devoted his career to raising public awareness of problems with adulterated food; developing standards for food processing; and campaigning for the Pure Food and Drugs Act, also known as the "Wiley Act."
The Growing Meat Packing Industry During the latter half of the 1800s, the railroads expanded rapidly across the United States and its territories, providing for improved transportation of livestock. Technological advancements, such as refrigerated rail cars and electricity, made year-round business possible for the meat packing industry.
Foreign Animal Diseases and Interstate Commerce In 1865, USDA Secretary Isaac Newton urged Congress to enact legislation providing for the quarantine of imported animals, which had long been identified as a source of disease. The Act became law, but jurisdiction was given to the Treasury Department. Little preventive action was taken, and diseased animals continued to be imported. Consequently, individual states attempted to control or eradicate livestock diseases, but the inconsistencies in state requirements and enforcement were problematic.
In May 1884, President Chester Arthur signed an act establishing the USDA Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), charged with preventing diseased animals from being used as food. By August 1884, the Treasury Department's quarantine stations were transferred to the BAI. Stations in Baltimore, New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, along with the customs offices on the Canadian and Mexican borders, served as safeguards against foreign animal diseases.
In 1886, the Supreme Court ruled in the Wabash case that only the federal government could regulate interstate commerce, and in 1887, Congress passed the Interstate Commerce Act.
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