Episode · Freakonomics Radio · 2026-10-02
Books mentioned on 689. Here’s Why Your Hamburger Just Got So Pricey
An economist calls America’s beef industry a “miracle.” An antitrust scholar calls it “broken.
Stephen Dubner discussed Putting Meat on the American Table by Roger Horowitz and The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Putting Meat on the American Table
Discussed“A couple decades ago, Harowitz published a book called Putting Meat on the American Table.”
Where to get it
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The Jungle
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair is a searing 1906 naturalist novel exposing the appalling working conditions, exploitation of laborers, and unsanitary practices within Chicago's meatpacking industry during the Gilded Age.
Discussed“So, you're back, if you will, to The Jungle. The Jungle is Upton Sinclair's 1906 novel, an expose of the harsh work conditions in Chicago's meat packing industry.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
Plugged Barons
“I'm an agriculture antirust expert and I recently published a book called Baron's Money, Power, and the Corruption America's Food Industry.”