Meat Inspection Act of 1906

SIGNED INTO LAW by President Theodore Roosevelt on June 30, 1906, the Federal Meat Inspection Act enacted sweeping reform of the meat packing industry, mandating that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspect all cattle, swine, sheep, goats, and horses both before and after they are slaughtered and processed into products for human consumption. The act prohibits the sale of adulterated or misbranded livestock and products as food and ensures that livestock and products are slaughtered and processed under sanitary conditions. The act applies to livestock and products within the United States as well as imports, which must be inspected under equivalent foreign inspection standards.

The 1906 legislation amended prior Meat Inspection Acts of 1890 and 1891 and other laws passed in 1897 that had provided ...