Meat Inspection Act of 1906
In reaction to Theodore Roosevelt's investigation of Chicago meat packers in 1904 and
Upton Sinclairs The Jungle, the Meat Inspection Act of 1906 was ratified.
Its four main requirements were:
1) Mandated antemortem inspection of livestock (cattle, swine, sheep, goats, equines)
2) Mandated post-mortem inspection of every carcass
3) Established sanitary standards for slaughter and processing plants
4) Required continuous USDA inspection of slaughter and processing operations
This act was grounbreaking and significantly more effective than any previous act or
standard concerning the meat industry. Preslaughter inspection for interstate shipment
and condemnation of diseased meat in the late 1890's did little to improve the quality of
the meat that was being shipped and sold in the Unites States. After 1906, countless
other laws that further standardized the meat industry and the USDA's methods of
inspection. Methods were eventually finalized into the process below.
Inspection consist of:
1) Examination of animals and their carcasses at slaughter
2) Inspection of all stages of preparation to assure sanitary handling and equipment
3) Destruction of condemned product
4) Examination of all ingredients
5) Application of identification standards to products
6) Accurate labeling enforcement
7) Inspection of imported products
8) Administration of product certification