Which muckraker wrote The Jungle, which spurred food safety reforms?

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Multiple Choice

Which muckraker wrote The Jungle, which spurred food safety reforms?

Explanation:
The central idea here is how investigative writing can drive government reform. Upton Sinclair used fiction to expose the brutal, unsanitary realities of the meatpacking industry, showing how workers lived and how meat was processed. His vivid, disturbing portrayal sparked widespread public outrage and put pressure on lawmakers. As a result, the federal government moved quickly to regulate the industry, passing the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906 to improve food safety and consumer protection. Other muckrakers focused on different issues—Jacob Riis on urban poverty, Ida Tarbell on monopolies, John Spargo on child labor—but The Jungle is Sinclair’s work, and its impact on food safety policy is what makes it the best answer.

The central idea here is how investigative writing can drive government reform. Upton Sinclair used fiction to expose the brutal, unsanitary realities of the meatpacking industry, showing how workers lived and how meat was processed. His vivid, disturbing portrayal sparked widespread public outrage and put pressure on lawmakers. As a result, the federal government moved quickly to regulate the industry, passing the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906 to improve food safety and consumer protection. Other muckrakers focused on different issues—Jacob Riis on urban poverty, Ida Tarbell on monopolies, John Spargo on child labor—but The Jungle is Sinclair’s work, and its impact on food safety policy is what makes it the best answer.

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