Today, we are sharing our microphone with Dr. Justin Kastner, a professor in the Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University. We will delve into the beginnings of the meatpacking industry in the US, the US’s livestock and meat export trade with Europe’s, while focusing specifically on the Chicago area—where the fictional story of Jurgis Rudkus began. We will summarize the book “The Jungle,” authored by Upton Sinclair during 1904-1905, and discuss the repercussions of its publication and how it influenced the direction of sanitation and food safety regulation within the meat industry in the US. Enjoy the episode!