Title 7AgricultureRelease 119-73

§4402 Definitions

Title 7 › Chapter CHAPTER 75— - INTERNATIONAL CARRIAGE OF PERISHABLE FOODSTUFFS › § 4402

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Sets plain meanings for important words used in this chapter. “Agreement” means the 1970 Geneva pact on moving perishable foodstuffs and its annexes and appendices (dated September 1, 1970). “Contracting party” means a country that is allowed under article 9 and has met that article’s requirements. “Equipment” means the special transport units that meet annex 1 standards, like rail cars, trucks, trailers, semitrailers, and insulated or refrigerated/heated containers. “Perishable foodstuffs” means the frozen and quick deep‑frozen products listed in annex 2 and the food items listed in annex 3. “International carriage” means moving those foods between contracting‑party countries by rail, road, rail+road, or by a sea crossing under 150 kilometers that is part of connected land journeys, using the same equipment without reloading. “United States” lists the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, and other U.S. territories or possessions.

Full Legal Text

Title 7, §4402

Agriculture — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

As used in this chapter—
(1)The term “agreement” means the Agreement on the International Carriage of Perishable Foodstuffs and on the Special Equipment to be Used for Such Carriage, and the annexes and the appendices thereto, done at Geneva, September 1, 1970, under the auspices of the Economic Commission for Europe of the United Nations.
(2)The term “contracting party” means any country that is eligible under article 9 of the agreement and that has complied with the terms of such article.
(3)The term “equipment” means the special transport equipment that complies with the definitions and standards set forth in annex 1 to the agreement, including, but not limited to, railway cars, trucks, trailers, semitrailers, and intermodal freight containers that are insulated only, or insulated and equipped with a refrigerating, mechanically refrigerating, or heating appliance.
(4)The term “perishable foodstuffs” means quick deep-frozen and frozen food products listed in annex 2 and food products listed in annex 3 to the agreement.
(5)The term “international carriage” means transportation of perishable foodstuffs if such foodstuffs are loaded in equipment or the equipment containing them is loaded onto a rail or road vehicle, in the territory of any country and such foodstuffs are, or the equipment containing them is, unloaded in the territory of another country that is a contracting party, where such transportation is by—
(A)rail,
(B)road,
(C)any combination of rail and road, or
(D)any sea crossing of less than one hundred and fifty kilometers, if preceded or followed by one or more land journeys as referred to in clauses (A), (B), and (C) of this paragraph, and the perishable foodstuffs are shipped in the same equipment used for such land journeys without transloading of such foodstuffs.
(6)The term “United States” means the fifty States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands of the United States, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any other territory or possession of the United States.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in text, was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 97–325, Oct. 15, 1982, 96 Stat. 1603, known as the International Carriage of Perishable Foodstuffs Act, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 4401 of this title and Tables.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

7 U.S.C. § 4402

Title 7Agriculture

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73