Headlines, Scandals, and Safe Food: How Journalism Changed the Food Industry Forever

September is National Food Safety Education Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about safe practices that prevent foodborne illness. But the story of food safety can be found before the science and regulations: in journalism, public outrage, and reform.

In this compelling 10-minute lecture, food policy expert Dr. Darin Detwiler uncovers how newspapers, muckrakers, and investigative reporting at the turn of the 20th century helped transform the way America thinks about food — and why their legacy still shapes the industry today.

To explore this broader view, we invite you to watch a powerful video by Dr. Darin Detwiler, a leading voice in food policy and safety. Watch now: “JOURNALISM's Role in shaping the Food Industry at the Turn of the Century” [10:01]

• The rise of Yellow Journalism and the influence of Pulitzer and Hearst

• How newspapers not only fueled the Spanish-American War but also shaped public trust in industry and government

• The power of political cartoons, progressives, muckrakers, and investigative journalism in exposing hidden truths

• The groundbreaking impact of Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle (1906) on meatpacking and food safety

• How President Teddy Roosevelt, the Pure Food and Drug Act, and the Federal Meat Inspection Act reshaped the USDA and food regulation

• Why journalism remains a vital watchdog for today’s global food system

The story of food safety is also the story of accountability. Without investigative journalism and public pressure, the reforms that protect millions of people every day may never have happened.

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