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Table of Contents
The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 (PFDA) was the first of a series of significant consumer protection laws enacted by Congress in the 20th century and led to the creation of the Food and Drug Administration.
See the fact file below for more information on the Pure Food and Drug Act or alternatively, you can download our 22-page Pure Food and Drug Act worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
DESCRIPTION
- The main purpose of this act was to prevent foreign and interstate manufacturers from selling adulterated or mislabeled food and drug products.
- The act required that a drug must pass purity levels established by the United States Pharmacopeia or the National Formulary and the active ingredients must be placed on a drug’s packaging.
- The law was designed to raise standards in the food and drug industries, which require a “truth in labelling” on products, and create the 10 dangerous drugs list to be labelled at all times.
HISTORY
- It was in the midst of industrialization and increasing urban populations in the 19th century that manufacturers often added fillers to extend and cheapen their products.
- Fraudulent practices — such as dyed apple scraps; adding chemicals to enhance food color, texture, and flavor; soothing syrups for infants with opium derivatives, and hayseeds sometimes sold as “strawberry jam” — became all too common.
- Chief Chemist of the Bureau of Chemistry, Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley, led a campaign to have a regulation in food production and commerce against those dishonest manufacturer and captured the country’s attention through his hygienic table studies, which began with a modest Congressional appropriation in 1902.
- His goal was to show the effect on humans of the preservatives added to the foods.
- He was supported by the many upstanding, reputable manufacturers who wished to outlaw the shady practices of dishonest competitors.
- He enlisted scientists to analyze and present to legislators the harmful effects of preservatives, food colorings, and other chemicals.
- On the other hand, there were Muckraker journalists known in Investigative Journalism where they exposed the critical deficiencies of America in regards to food and drug industries.
- Samuel Hopkins Adams, one of the Muckraker journalists, targeted the flaws of the patent medicine industry.
- He wrote 11 articles in Collier’s Weekly where he documented the harm often caused by the pharmaceutical industry to public health.
- He had a central role in exposing the deficiencies of the Pharmaceutical industry.
- The novel Jungle by Upton Sinclair, a Muckraker journalist, exposed the unsanitary meat processing plants and unscrupulous practices in the meatpacking industry and led Congress to enact food inspection legislation.
- The Pure Food and Drug Act, signed by President Theodore Roosevelt on June 30, 1906, strongly affected the way foods and drugs were prepared, packaged, labeled, sold, and advertised in the United States.
- The Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) is an American law, also signed on June 30, 1906, which makes selling adulterated products or with misbranded information a crime. It also ensures that meat and meat products are slaughtered and processed under sanitary conditions.
ADDICTIVE DRUG AND ENFORCEMENT OF LABELLING
- The law requires listing on the product label any of the 10 ingredients that were considered dangerous.
- Some were Alcohol, Morphine, Opium and Cannabis.
- The law was initially concerned that the products were labeled correctly. Later efforts were made to outlaw products that were not safe. Ultimately, products were outlawed that were safe but not effective.
- Caffeine replaced cocaine as an active ingredient in Coca Cola in 1903.
- In 1909, there was an attempt to outlaw Coca Cola due to its excessive caffeine content.
- The judge of the case found that Coca Cola had the right to use caffeine as it saw fit. Coca Cola did reduce the amount of caffeine.
- Previously many drugs had been sold as patent medicines with secret ingredients or misleading labels.
- Drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and cannabis continued to be legally available without prescription as long as they were labeled.
- Other drugs deemed to be dangerous should be accurately labeled with dosage and contents.
- The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 is cited by drug policy reform requiring accurate labels, monitoring of purity and dose, and consumer education.
Pure Food and Drug Act Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Pure Food and Drug Act across 22 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Pure Food and Drug Act worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 (PFDA) which was the first of a series of significant consumer protection laws enacted by Congress in the 20th century and led to the creation of the Food and Drug Administration.
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- Pure Food and Drug Facts
- Define PFDA
- Real or Not Real?
- Facts About Muckrakers
- I Am the One
- Jumbled Words
- Fill Me In
- Prohibited Drugs
- I Am A Manufacturer
- Caffeine vs. Cocaine
- Poster for Awareness
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Link will appear as Pure Food and Drug Act Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, October 16, 2019
Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.