The Battle for Pure Milk in America

The Battle for Pure Milk in the United States

• The US Department of Agriculture was created in 1862 to provide support for American farmers.
• In 1883, Harvey W. Wiley became the new chief of the department's division of chemistry.
• Wiley had a bold new agenda for the bureau - a wide scale study of the state of American food.
• Wiley's first target was the dairy industry, including the quality and healthfulness of milk.
• Milk production was becoming increasingly corrupt as dairy manufacturers adulterated their product to make more money.
• The standard formula was a pint of warm water for every quart of milk, and producers would add whitening agents such as plaster of paris or chalk to rid the remaining liquid of its bluish tint.
• Milk purveyors were often selling a product laden with deadly bacteria, and outbreaks of scarlet fever, tuberculosis, and cholera were common.
• The government's testing of milk revealed problems nationwide, including worms wriggling in the bottom of bottles and the use of the deadly chemical formaldehyde to cover up spoiled milk.
• Wiley's findings about other dairy products turned up widespread fraud and deception, such as the labeling of oleomargarine as butter.
• Wiley published the results of his study in a government bulletin, which made a persuasive case for federal regulation of the entire dairy industry.
• Congress held hearings and focused its attention only on regulating oleomargarine, passing a tepid piece of legislation called the Butter Act of 1886.
• The Butter Act imposed only a small tax on oleomargarine and did nothing to address the dangerous state of milk production across the country, proving that the food industry had a stranglehold on Congress.

Test your knowledge on the battle for pure milk in the United States. Learn about the corruption in the dairy industry, the dangerous additives used in milk production, and the efforts of Harvey W. Wiley to regulate the industry. Find out how Congress failed to address the issues with the Butter Act of 1886. Challenge yourself with this informative quiz and discover the fascinating history of the fight for safe and pure milk in America.