This cornerstone of American literature has had a greater impact on American society than any other 20th-century novel. Sinclair said that he "aimed for the public's heart but by accident hit it in the stomach." His portrayals of the horrors of the Chicago meatpacking industry so offended the American public that it resulted in the pure-food legislation of 1906 and the establishment of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Few works of fiction have had the impact of this powerful work.