Final answer:
Upton Sinclair's 'The Jungle' revealed unsanitary conditions and the ways spoiled meat was disguised in the meatpacking industry, leading to regulatory reforms including the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906.
Step-by-step explanation:
The novel The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, published in 1906, is a seminal muckraking work that exposed the unsanitary practices within the meatpacking industry of the time. Sinclair's account reveals that spoiled meat was often handled in horrific conditions, as depicted in the novel with meat being stored improperly and becoming infested with rats.
The rats, their droppings, and sometimes even poisoned rat carcasses would end up in the meat products. To cover up the spoiled meat, packers would use various methods such as dyes, chemicals, and processing techniques to disguise the taste and appearance of the meat.
The public outcry from these revelations helped lead to the enactment of the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906, which implemented federal inspections and sanitation requirements to safeguard consumer health.