The Unadulterated Truth
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
When the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act was issued, it appeared as though the government had severed its ties with the food industry. However, the laws regulating food were extremely vague and companies willingly exploited the provided loopholes (16). In 1933, the FDA publicly exposed these companies by displaying their adulterated products in a traveling exhibit, which a reporter aptly named The American Chamber of Horrors. While the show was a success, it did not have an immediate impact on Congress as The Jungle had in 1906. The outdated act was not replaced until 1938 (17).
Left: The American Chamber of Horrors, n.d. from The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Photostream
An unidentified woman organizing items for the FDA’s American Chamber of Horrors exhibit.
The Horror Continues
In the decades following the American Chamber of Horrors exhibit, Americans felt confident that they left the era of adulteration behind. However, documentaries, such as Food, INC. (2008), and the recent IKEA horsemeat scandal have forced Americans to reevaluate the government’s ability to keep adulterated and diseased products off grocery store shelves (18).
Left: Food, INC. Movie Poster, 2008, from Magnolia Home Entertainment
In 2008, Robert Kenner released the documentary Food, INC., which revealed the meat industry’s dangerous production process to American audiences.
Should Every Home have a Chemist?
Over a hundred years have elapsed since Richards published Food Materials and Their Adulterations and Sinclair released his muckraking manuscript The Jungle. While the government’s food regulation policies have greatly improved since the time of Richards and Sinclair, the food industry still successfully taints their products. Was Richards right? Is the only possible way to completely avoid adulterated and unsafe food to chemically analyze for one’s self?
Left: American Companies Could Make Adulteration Detection Easier, from “Snake Oil in Your Snacks,” in Forbes Magazine, 2010.
American companies have created inexpensive test kits that detect adulterations. However, the public is not allowed to purchase these twelve-dollar sets. Until then, one must either rely upon the government or become domestic chemists.
