§604 — Title 21 Food and Drugs | U.S. Code

Summary

The Secretary must have inspectors examine the carcasses and parts of all animals covered by the law when they are prepared for people to eat at slaughterhouses, meat-canning, salting, packing, rendering, or similar places in any State, Territory, or the District of Columbia. If an inspector finds a carcass safe, the establishment must mark it to show it passed inspection. If it is unsafe or adulterated, the establishment must mark it as condemned. Any condemned carcass or part must be destroyed so it is not used for food, and that destruction must happen while an inspector watches. Inspectors can recheck carcasses later, and if one is found unsafe on reinspection it must again be destroyed with an inspector present. The Secretary may remove inspectors from any place that fails to destroy condemned meat as required.

Title 21, §604

Food and Drugs — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

For the purposes hereinbefore set forth the Secretary shall cause to be made by inspectors appointed for that purpose a post mortem examination and inspection of the carcasses and parts thereof of all amenable species to be prepared at any slaughtering, meat-canning, salting, packing, rendering, or similar establishment in any State, Territory, or the District of Columbia as articles of commerce which are capable of use as human food; and the carcasses and parts thereof of all such animals found to be not adulterated shall be marked, stamped, tagged, or labeled as “Inspected and passed”; and said inspectors shall label, mark, stamp, or tag as “Inspected and condemned” all carcasses and parts thereof of animals found to be adulterated; and all carcasses and parts thereof thus inspected and condemned shall be destroyed for food purposes by the said establishment in the presence of an inspector, and the Secretary may remove inspectors from any such establishment which fails to so destroy any such condemned carcass or part thereof, and said inspectors, after said first inspection, shall, when they deem it necessary, reinspect said carcasses or parts thereof to determine whether since the first inspection the same have become adulterated, and if any carcass or any part thereof shall, upon examination and inspection subsequent to the first examination and inspection, be found to be adulterated, it shall be destroyed for food purposes by the said establishment in the presence of an inspector, and the Secretary may remove inspectors from any establishment which fails to so destroy any such condemned carcass or part thereof.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Section was formerly classified to section 72 of this title.

Amendments

2005—Pub. L. 109–97 substituted “amenable species” for “cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules, and other equines”. 1967—Pub. L. 90–201, §§ 3, 4, 12(a)–(d), struck out “interstate or foreign” before “commerce” and “of Agriculture” after “Secretary” in three places; struck out “for human consumption” before “at any slaughtering” and “for transportation or sale” after “District of Columbia” and inserted “which are capable of use as human food” after “commerce”; included horses, mules, and other equines in the list of animals; substituted “adulterated” for “unsound, unhealthful, unwholesome, or otherwise unfit for human food” after “ ‘Inspected and condemned,’ all carcasses and parts thereof of animals found to be” and before “, it shall be destroyed”; substituted “not adulterated” for “sound, healthful, wholesome, and fit for human food”; and substituted “adulterated” for “unsound, unhealthful, unwholesome, or in any way unfit for human food” before “and if any carcass”, respectively.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2005 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 109–97 effective the day after 120 days after Nov. 10, 2005, see section 798(b) of Pub. L. 109–97, set out as a note under section 601 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1967 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 90–201 effective Dec. 15, 1967, except that with respect to equines (other than horses) and their carcasses and parts thereof, meat, and meat food products thereof, amendment effective upon expiration of sixty days after Dec. 15, 1967, see section 20(b) of Pub. L. 90–201, set out as an

Effective Date

note under section 601 of this title.

§604 Post Mortem Examination of Carcasses and Marking or Labeling; Destruction of Carcasses Condemned; Reinspection

Summary

Title 21, §604

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Effective Date

Effective Date

Citations & Metadata