Upton Sinclair's The Jungle and the Meat-Packing Industry Today

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Recommended: The role of government in consumer protection

Meatpacking pertains to the raising, slaughtering, packaging and processing of livestock such as pigs, cows, and chickens. Prior to slaughter, animals are grown and fed. Food borne illness and pathogens still plague the meatpacking industry since the creation of meatpacking. The government plays a huge role in providing legislation and ensuring the safety of meat products and business. Although the government is meant to inspect and guarantee safety, many unlawful practices appear overlooked pertaining to the safety of meat for consumers. Meatpacking commenced thousands of years ago, and the safety of the meatpacking industry has been evaluated greatly since the industrial revolution in America. The history of the meatpacking industry in America, the impact of literature such as the novel of the jungle written by Upton Sinclair, the rendering and irradiation of meat, and current worker issues contribute to the horrible safety precautions as well as the awful environment involving the meatpacking industry.

Meatpacking served as solely a family business up until the 17th century. As population in America grew immensely, industry as well as urbanization created a demand for meat product. Consequently, heavy industry quickly replaced traditional practices. Local meat stores grew into enormous companies and businesses that processed thousands of animals each day into fresh meat ("Meat Industry"). At the emergence of the 20th century, 4 major meat packing corporations took over small meatpacking companies and family owned businesses. The 4 major companies at the time consisted of the Armour, Swift, Morns, and national packing. The “Big Four” meat packing companies centralized their operations in a few cities ("BRIA 24 1 B ...

... middle of paper ...

...s not a top priority. As the meat industry demonstrates a few pros, the cons outweigh drastically.

Works Cited

"BRIA 24 1 B Upton Sinclairs The Jungle: Muckraking the Meat-Packing Industry." Constitutional Rights Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.

Greenhouse, Steven. "US: Meat Packing Industry Criticized on Human Rights Grounds." New York Times. N.p., 25 Jan. 2005. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.

H.C. White. Chicago - Meat Packing Industry: Dropping Hides and Splitting Chucks, Beef Dept., Swift & Co.'s Packing House. Digital image. Library of Congress. Library of Congress, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.

Kallen, Stuart A. Food Safety. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2005. Print.

"Meat Industry." Encyclopedia Americana. Grolier Online, n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.

"Meatpacking in America: Still a Jungle Out There? . NOW |." PBS. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.

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