In June 1906 Congress passed the Pure Food and Drug Act, together with the Meat Inspection Act. Dr. Harvey Wiley, a chemist with the Department of Agriculture, led the movement for a federal law to ensure a safe food supply and to regulate medicines. The Pure Food and Drug Act prohibited the interstate sale of food and drugs that had been contaminated or falsely labeled. This act and the Meat Inspection Act established a precedent for the federal government’s role in modern consumer protection. Because state laws were poorly enforced, consumer groups looked to the federal government to regulate the labeling and content of food and drugs. Both the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act were important Progressive Era legislative victories.
