What Is Upton Sinclair's Description Of The Food Industry In 1906

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In 1906, Upton Sinclair wrote a novel that was designed to attract the people of the United States. Throughout this novel, Sinclair pointed out several defining details about the workers in the food industry (Sinclair). The title of this novel is The Jungle because Sinclair always believed that the food industry reminded him of the jungle. Back in 1906, the food industry was very hazardous. The working conditions were very unsafe, including the extreme fluctuation in temperatures from unbearable heat to freezing cold, the lack of safety equipment, sanitary needs, and even the high amounts of workers. The Jungle specifies its plot in a small, well-known town for working, called Packingtown. Packingtown was a highly populated area in New York City where people could find jobs that would be considered cheap labor. Everyone went to Packingtown for a job, but the jobs were not only unsafe, but the employers had no regard for the individual workers. A majority of the workers were immigrants that just got off the boat and needed money to help their families survive. The jobs were corrupt with very …show more content…

This industry is where the United States’ population gets a majority of their food intake, while the other portion comes from farming. While the consumers like to believe that their food is always clean, chemical free, and healthy, it isn’t. The food industry is now considered to be one of the most hazardous industries in the United States (McLaughlin). The animals aren’t the only things being abused anymore; the workers are now being abused as well (FOOD, INC.). Since the food industry is such a dangerous industry, the consumers are eating more than just their food sometimes. The food industry doesn’t want the consumers to know what is in their food and how their food is made, because the industry is afraid that if the consumers know, that they will not want to eat their food anymore (FOOD,