Title FAC — California Food & Agric. Code

“Animal food manufacturer” means any person that is engaged in the business of preparing any animal food which is derived wholly or in part from any livestock or poultry carcass or any part or product of any such carcass.

“Broker” means any person that is engaged in the business of buying or selling any livestock product or poultry product on commission, or otherwise negotiating any purchase or sale of any livestock product or poultry product, other than for his own account or as an employee of an…

“Capable of use as human food” means any livestock or poultry carcass, or any part or product of any such carcass, unless it is denatured or otherwise identified as required by the director to prevent its use as human food, or is naturally inedible by humans.

“Container” or “package” means any box, can, tin, cloth, plastic, or other receptacle, wrapper, or cover.

“Federal acts” means the Federal Meat Inspection Act and Federal Poultry Products Inspection Act.

“Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act” means the act so entitled, approved June 25, 1938 (52 Stat. 1040; 21 U.S.C., Sec. 301 et seq.), and acts amendatory thereof or supplementary thereto.

“Federal Meat Inspection Act” means the act so entitled approved March 4, 1907 (34 Stat. 1260; 21 U.S.C., Sec. 71 et seq.), as amended by the Wholesome Meat Act (81 Stat. 584; 21 U.S.C., Sec. 601 et seq.).

“Federal Poultry Products Inspection Act” means the act so entitled approved August 28, 1957 (71 Stat. 441; 21 U.S.C., Sec. 451 et seq.), as amended by the Wholesome Poultry Products Act (82 Stat. 791; 21 U.S.C., Sec. 451 et seq. ).

“Inspector” means an employee of the department authorized to perform any inspection function under this chapter.

“Label” means a display of written, printed, or graphic matter upon any article or the immediate container of any article. It does not, however, include package liners.

“Livestock” means any cattle, sheep, swine, goat, or any horse, mule or other equine, whether live or dead.

“Livestock product” means any carcass, part of a carcass, meat, or meat food product of any livestock.

“Meat food product” means any product which is capable of use as human food that is made wholly or in part from any meat or other portion of the carcass of any cattle, sheep, swine, or goat. The director may exempt from this definition any product which contains meat or any other…

“Misbranded” means any livestock product or poultry product which is in violation of Article 5 (commencing with Section 18781) of this chapter.

“Official certificate” means any certificate which is prescribed by regulations of the director for issuance by an inspector or other person performing official functions under this chapter.

“Official device” means any device which is prescribed or authorized by the director for use in applying any official mark.

“Official establishment” means any establishment at which inspection of the slaughter of livestock or poultry, or the preparation of any livestock product or poultry product, is maintained under the authority of this chapter.

“Official inspection legend” means any symbol which is prescribed by the director that shows that an article was inspected and passed in accordance with this chapter.

“Offical mark” means the official inspection legend or any other symbol which is prescribed by the director to identify the status of any article or livestock or poultry under this chapter.

“Person” includes any individual, partnership, corporation, limited liability company, association, or other business unit, and any officer, agent, or employee thereof.

“Pesticide chemical,” “food additive,” “color additive,” and “raw agricultural commodity” shall have the same meanings as under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

“Prepared” means slaughtered, canned, salted, stuffed, rendered, boned, cut up, or otherwise manufactured or processed.

“Poultry” means any domesticated bird, whether live or dead.

“Poultry product” means any poultry carcass, any part of a poultry carcass, or any product which is made wholly or in part from any poultry carcass or any part of a poultry carcass. The director may exempt from this definition any product which contains any poultry ingredient onl…

“Renderer” means any person that is engaged in the business of rendering any livestock or poultry carcass, or any part or product of such a carcass, except rendering conducted under inspection or exemption under this chapter.

Meat, meat food products, poultry, and poultry products are an important source of the nation’s total supply of food. It is essential in the public interest that the health and welfare of consumers be protected by assuring that meat, meat food products, slaughtered poultry, and p…

It is the objective of this chapter to provide for meat and poultry products inspection programs that will impose and enforce requirements with respect to intrastate operations and commerce that are at least equal to those imposed and enforced under the Federal Meat Inspection Ac…

The regulations which are adopted pursuant to this chapter shall conform, so far as possible, to the rules, regulations, and standards of the United States Department of Agriculture which govern the inspection, preparation, and processing of livestock and livestock products and p…

This chapter applies to any person, establishment, animal, or article regulated under the federal acts only to the extent provided for in the federal acts. The exemptions provided in the federal acts are, however, applicable to this chapter insofar as they are not contrary to thi…

If slaughtering or carcass preparation or processing of any meat, meat products, poultry, or poultry product is conducted in an establishment where state inspection is maintained, at hours considered overtime for state employees, or on legal holidays, the owner or operator of the…

The director may cooperate with the Secretary of Agriculture of the United States in administration of this chapter to effectuate the purposes stated in Sections 18691 and 18692, accept federal assistance for that purpose and spend public funds of this state appropriated for admi…

The director may do all of the following: (a) Recommend to the Secretary of Agriculture of the United States for appointment to the advisory committees provided for in the federal acts, such officials or employees of the department as the director shall designate. (b) Serve as th…

To accomplish the purposes of Article 2 (commencing with Section 18691) of this chapter, the director shall require ante mortem and post mortem inspections, quarantine, segregation, and reinspections with respect to the slaughter of any livestock or poultry, or the preparation of…

The director shall require the identification of livestock and poultry for inspection purposes, and the marking and labeling of any livestock product or poultry product or its containers, or both, as either: (a) “California Inspected and Passed,” if the product is found upon insp…

The director shall prohibit the entry into official establishments of any livestock product or poultry product which was not prepared under federal inspection or inspection pursuant to this chapter and further limit the entry of any such product or other materials into such estab…

The director shall require that when any livestock product or poultry product leaves official establishments it shall bear directly thereon or on its containers, or both, as he may require, all information required under Article 5 (commencing with Section 18781) and require appro…

The director shall investigate the sanitary conditions of each establishment required to have inspection under Section 18721 and shall withdraw or otherwise refuse to provide inspection service at any establishment where the sanitary conditions are such as to render adulterated a…

The director shall prescribe sanitation requirements for all establishments required to have inspection under Section 18721.

The director shall require the following classes of persons to keep such records and for such periods as he may specify, to fully and correctly disclose all transactions involved in their business, and afford to the director and his representatives, access to such places of busin…

The director may refuse to provide inspection service to any establishment that fails to destroy any condemned product as required pursuant to Section 18722 and any regulation promulgated thereunder.

The director may refuse to provide inspection service under this chapter with respect to any establishment for any cause specified in Section 401 of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C., Sec. 671) or Section 18 of the Federal Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C., Sec.…

The director may order any labeling or container to be withheld from use if he determines that the labeling is false or misleading or the container is of a misleading size or form.

The director may prescribe the size and style of any type which is to be used for labeling information required pursuant to this chapter, and definitions and standards of identity or composition or standards of fill of container, consistent with federal standards, when he deems s…

The director may prescribe conditions of storage and handling of any livestock product or poultry product by any person engaged in the business of buying, selling, freezing, storing, or transporting such livestock or poultry product in intrastate commerce to assure that it will n…

Equines shall be slaughtered and prepared in establishments separate from any establishment where any other livestock is slaughtered or any product of any other livestock is prepared.

Every person that is engaged in business in intrastate commerce as a broker, renderer, animal food manufacturer, or wholesaler or public warehouseman of any livestock product or poultry product, or engaged in the business of buying, selling, or transporting in intrastate commerce…

The director may adopt, by reference or otherwise, such provisions of the rules and regulations under the federal acts, with such changes therein as he deems appropriate to make them applicable to operations and transactions subject to this chapter, which shall have the same forc…

The director may appoint and prescribe the duties of such inspectors and other personnel as he deems necessary for the efficient execution of the provisions of this chapter.

No inspection of any product placed in any container at any official establishment shall be deemed to be complete until the product is sealed or enclosed in the container under the supervision of an inspector.

For purposes of any inspection of any product required by this chapter, any inspector authorized by the director shall have access at all times, by day or night, to every part of every establishment required to have inspection under this chapter, whether the establishment is oper…