consumer-affairs

Upton Sinclair’s 1906 novel The Jungle described unhygienic practices that were common across the U.S. meat industry. The public outcry following its publication spurred some of the nation’s first food safety legislation. More than a century later, the United States has made considerable progress on food safety, but foodborne illness remains a serious public health problem.

According to a 2012 report from the Congressional Research Service, “U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics,” energy consumption in the U.S. nearly tripled from 1950 to 2011. Over the same period, however, electricity consumption grew even faster, rising from 334 billion to 4,120 billion kilowatt hours — an increase of 1,134%.