The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 was a landmark piece of legislation in the United States that sought to regulate the labeling and purity of food and drugs.

Prompted by growing public concern over unsafe and mislabeled products, as well as books like Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, which highlighted unsanitary conditions in the meatpacking industry, the act aimed to protect consumers from adulterated or misbranded items. The law required accurate labeling of ingredients and prohibited the sale of harmful or contaminated food and medicines. It also led to the creation of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which was tasked with enforcing these regulations. 

The science behind the law came from the efforts of Harvey Wiley, AB, MD, a Hoosier native who formerly served on the faculty of the Chemistry Department at Purdue University before taking a position as Chief Chemist at the United States Department of Agriculture. In 1882. His work with food adulterants ultimately led to the 1906 law and his unofficial designation of the “Father of the Pure Food and Drug Law”.

The Pure Food and Drug Act marked a significant step toward consumer protection, laying groundwork for more comprehensive food and drug safety laws in the future.