The progressives were successful to the largest extent by advocating for greater government regulation and accountability, legislation improved public health and safety by ensuring the quality and labeling of products, while exposing unsanitary conditions in the food industry helped restore trust in consumer goods. As a result the government protected consumers but also laid the foundation for future government oversight in tackling issues of corruption and corporate abuse.

The Gilded Age industrialization led to child labor which was common in factories, coal mines, and textile mills, also there was little regulation which caused unsafe products, tainted food, and harmful medicines, with little oversight. The gilded age set up both progressive era reforms and civil rights reforms. During the Progressive Era, activists of the National Child Labor Committee pushed for reform, leading to the Keating-Owen Act, which restricted child labor. The Fair Labor Standards Act eventually set minimum age requirements for work. Reformers like Upton Sinclair exposed the food industry and their unsanitary conditions in industries, leading to the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act, which established federal regulations for consumer safety. Civil Rights Movement and 1960s–70s United Farm Workers fought for child labor protections in agriculture. The movement led to stronger enforcement of child labor laws, and workplace safety standards, the consumer movement which was inspired by earlier reforms, activists like Ralph Nader pushed for stronger consumer protections. The Consumer Product Safety Commission was established to ensure product safety, and new regulations on food, drugs, and automobiles were enacted, mirroring Progressive Era efforts. 

Theodore Roosevelt Center