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Feb 13 2024

What Americans Ate When There Were No Food Laws

54 min 1 movie discussed
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There was a brief period in America’s history – after people left the farm to work in the city and before the government started regulating it – when there was a total, lawless free-for-all in the food industry. Things were bad. Really, really bad.

AI Summary

Ever wondered what people ate in America before the government started regulating food? This Stuff You Should Know episode dives into the absolutely disgusting (and dangerous) world of pre-regulation American food, where milk contained live worms and formaldehyde, and there were literally no laws preventing food companies from putting just about anything into what people ate. Josh and Chuck explore the heroes who fought to change this nightmare situation, including the famous "Poison Squad" experiments and the muckraking journalism that finally sparked reform.


Movies Discussed

The Jungle
The Jungle
1914 55m
★ 0.0
"Within about five months, it was translated into 17 different languages and eventually became a silent movie as well in 1914. — Chuck mentioned that Upton Sinclair's famous book 'The Jungle' was adapted into a silent film after its success." — Chuck

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