Tag: Pure food and drug act

While no single person is credited with the modern Nutrition Facts panel, Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley is widely known as the “Father of the Pure Food and Drugs Act of 1906” and a key figure in the movement that eventually led to nutrition labels. This groundbreaking legislation laid the foundation for federal food safety regulation and honest labeling in the United States.

While early forms of food regulation date back to ancient Egypt, where officials established rules for correct weights and measures, the concept of mandatory food labels as we know them today was not invented until much later. This shift was driven by public health crises and growing consumer demand for food safety and transparency.