§1454 — Title 15 Commerce and Trade | U.S. Code

Summary

Lets the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Federal Trade Commission make rules about consumer products. The Secretary handles products that are foods, drugs, devices, or cosmetics (as defined in section 321 of title 21). The Commission handles other consumer products. If following all rules would be impractical or not needed to protect buyers, the proper agency can exempt a product from some rules as long as the exemption fits with section 1451. They can also make other rules to stop misleading labels or help shoppers compare value. That can include setting package-size standards to go along with the net quantity label, limiting claims that a price is lower than normal or that a larger package gives a price advantage, requiring a common product name and ingredient list for multi-ingredient items (except foods under section 321(f)) without forcing trade secrets to be revealed, and stopping empty package space that has no function. The Secretary of Commerce must ask industry to make voluntary size standards if too many package sizes hurt comparison. If no standard appears within one year or a published standard is not followed, the Secretary of Commerce must report to Congress what was done and whether new laws are needed.

Title 15, §1454

Commerce and Trade — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The authority to promulgate regulations under this chapter is vested in (A) the Secretary of Health and Human Services (referred to hereinafter as the “Secretary”) with respect to any consumer commodity which is a food, drug, device, or cosmetic, as each such term is defined by section 321 of title 21; and (B) the Federal Trade Commission (referred to hereinafter as the “Commission”) with respect to any other consumer commodity.

(b)If the promulgating authority specified in this section finds that, because of the nature, form, or quantity of a particular consumer commodity, or for other good and sufficient reasons, full compliance with all the requirements otherwise applicable under section 1453 of this title is impracticable or is not necessary for the adequate protection of consumers, the Secretary or the Commission (whichever the case may be) shall promulgate regulations exempting such commodity from those requirements to the extent and under such conditions as the promulgating authority determines to be consistent with section 1451 of this title.

(c)Whenever the promulgating authority determines that regulations containing prohibitions or requirements other than those prescribed by section 1453 of this title are necessary to prevent the deception of consumers or to facilitate value comparisons as to any consumer commodity, such authority shall promulgate with respect to that commodity regulations effective to—

(1)establish and define standards for characterization of the size of a package enclosing any consumer commodity, which may be used to supplement the label statement of net quantity of contents of packages containing such commodity, but this paragraph shall not be construed as authorizing any limitation on the size, shape, weight or mass, dimensions, or number of packages which may be used to enclose any commodity;

(2)regulate the placement upon any package containing any commodity, or upon any label affixed to such commodity, of any printed matter stating or representing by implication that such commodity is offered for retail sale at a price lower than the ordinary and customary retail sale price or that a retail sale price advantage is accorded to purchasers thereof by reason of the size of that package or the quantity of its contents;

(3)require that the label on each package of a consumer commodity (other than one which is a food within the meaning of section 321(f) of title 21) bear (A) the common or usual name of such consumer commodity, if any, and (B) in case such consumer commodity consists of two or more ingredients, the common or usual name of each such ingredient listed in order of decreasing predominance, but nothing in this paragraph shall be deemed to require that any trade secret be divulged; or

(4)prevent the nonfunctional-slack-fill of packages containing consumer commodities.

(d)Whenever the Secretary of Commerce determines that there is undue proliferation of the weights or masses, measures, or quantities in which any consumer commodity or reasonably comparable consumer commodities are being distributed in packages for sale at retail and such undue proliferation impairs the reasonable ability of consumers to make value comparisons with respect to such consumer commodity or commodities, he shall request manufacturers, packers, and distributors of the commodity or commodities to participate in the development of a voluntary product standard for such commodity or commodities under the procedures for the development of voluntary products standards established by the Secretary pursuant to section 272 of this title. Such procedures shall provide adequate manufacturer, packer, distributor, and consumer representation.

(e)If (1) after one year after the date on which the Secretary of Commerce first makes the request of manufacturers, packers, and distributors to participate in the development of a voluntary product standard as provided in subsection (d) of this section, he determines that such a standard will not be published pursuant to the provisions of such subsection (d), or (2) if such a standard is published and the Secretary of Commerce determines that it has not been observed, he shall promptly report such determination to the Congress with a statement of the efforts that have been made under the voluntary standards program and his recommendation as to whether Congress should enact legislation providing regulatory authority to deal with the situation in question.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1992—Pub. L. 102–245, § 107(a)(1), (2), (b), which directed amendment of section, effective two years after Feb. 14, 1992, by substituting “weight or mass” for “weight” in subsec. (c)(1) and “weights or masses” for “weights” in subsec. (d), was repealed by Pub. L. 102–329, § 3. Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 102–329, § 1(1), substituted “weight or mass” for “weight”. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 102–329, § 1(2), substituted “weights or masses” for “weights”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

“Secretary of Health and Human Services” substituted for “Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare” in subsec. (a) pursuant to section 509(b) of Pub. L. 96–88, which is classified to section 3508(b) of Title 20, Education.

Effective Date

of 1992 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 102–329 effective Feb. 14, 1994, but with such amendment to have no effect on the sale or distribution of products whose labels have been printed before such date, no application to unit pricing, advertising, recipe programs, nutrition labeling, or other general pricing information, and no

Construction

requiring changes in package size or affecting in any way the size of packages, see section 2 of Pub. L. 102–329, set out as a note under section 1453 of this title.

§1454 Rules and Regulations