Pure Food: FDA Notices of Judgment

historyanalysisNLM Circulating Now1906 · United States

Pure Food: FDA Notices of Judgment

the gist

The 1906 Pure Food and Drugs Act was the first federal law against adulterated and misbranded foods and drugs shipped across state lines, and it became the foundation of today's Food and Drug Administration. Before it, Congress had considered about 100 bills over 27 years. Enforcement depended on court cases, which the Bureau of Chemistry recorded in detailed files. Later research found that a 1913 amendment, the Gould Net Weight Amendment, required net weight to be displayed on food packages, the first mandatory food labelling rule and the legal basis for later labels like Nutrition Facts.

how it works

Federal agents seized goods that broke the law and prosecutors brought cases in court. Each case ended in a published notice of judgment, and the evidence files held labels, lab results and product samples.

so what

Labelling rules that shoppers take for granted were won through enforcement against short weights and deceptive packaging. The 1938 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act later replaced the 1906 law and set binding food standards.

the bigger pattern

Food-safety laws often followed scandals and were then tightened in later decades, as the 1906 act was replaced by the 1938 law.

U.S. National Library of Medicine

Illustrative photo · The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

source: NLM Circulating Now ↗

historyWikipediaclassic1336–1565 · Karnataka, India

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗