Title 21 — Food and DrugsRelease 119-73not60

§602 Congressional Statement of Findings

Title 21 › Chapter 12— MEAT INSPECTION › Subchapter I— INSPECTION REQUIREMENTS; ADULTERATION AND MISBRANDING › § 602

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

It requires meat and meat products to be safe, not contaminated, and honestly labeled and packed so people’s health is protected. Meat is a big part of the nation’s food supply, and most of it moves across state lines or to other countries. Unsafe, contaminated, or misleading meat hurts consumers and honest producers, damages markets, and unfairly undercuts good products. The law says these items affect interstate and foreign trade and that the federal government (through the Secretary) and the states must work together to stop these problems and protect public health and commerce.

Full Legal Text

Title 21, §602

Food and Drugs — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Meat and meat food products are an important source of the Nation’s total supply of food. They are consumed throughout the Nation and the major portion thereof moves in interstate or foreign commerce. It is essential in the public interest that the health and welfare of consumers be protected by assuring that meat and meat food products distributed to them are wholesome, not adulterated, and properly marked, labeled, and packaged. Unwholesome, adulterated, or misbranded meat or meat food products impair the effective regulation of meat and meat food products in interstate or foreign commerce, are injurious to the public welfare, destroy markets for wholesome, not adulterated, and properly labeled and packaged meat and meat food products, and result in sundry losses to livestock producers and processors of meat and meat food products, as well as injury to consumers. The unwholesome, adulterated, mislabeled, or deceptively packaged articles can be sold at lower prices and compete unfairly with the wholesome, not adulterated, and properly labeled and packaged articles, to the detriment of consumers and the public generally. It is hereby found that all articles and animals which are regulated under this chapter are either in interstate or foreign commerce or substantially affect such commerce, and that regulation by the Secretary and cooperation by the States and other jurisdictions as contemplated by this chapter are appropriate to prevent and eliminate burdens upon such commerce, to effectively regulate such commerce, and to protect the health and welfare of consumers.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

21 U.S.C. § 602

Title 21 — Food and Drugs

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60