Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 58601. Section 58601.
This chapter shall be known as “The California Marketing Act of 1937.”
ARTICLE 1. Short Title and Definitions [58601. - 58624.]
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC 1.
in effectCal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 58602. Section 58602.
Unless the context otherwise requires, the definitions in this article govern the construction of this chapter.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 58603. Section 58603.
“Administrative rules and regulations” means rules and regulations that are applicable to a particular marketing order or agreement which are issued and made effective by the director pursuant to Article 18 (commencing with Section 59161) of this chapter.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 58604. Section 58604.
“Advertising and sales promotion” means, in addition to its ordinarily accepted meaning, trade promotion and activities for the prevention, modification, or removal of trade barriers which restrict the free flow of any commodity to market and may include the presentation of facts to, and negotiations with, state, federal, or foreign governmental agencies on matters which affect the marketing of any commodity that is included in any marketing order or marketing agreement which is made effective pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 58604.5. Section 58604.5.
“Advertising and sales promotion” also means, in addition to its ordinary accepted meaning, activities for the modification or removal of trade barriers that restrict the free flow of a commodity to market, including negotiation with federal and foreign governments, and the allowance of reimbursement payments to offset commodity transportation or other costs to selected domestic and foreign markets.
Domestic f.o.b. selling price shall not be used as a factor in determining qualifications for reimbursement payments unless the director determines that there is no feasible alternative for establishing these qualifications.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 58605. Section 58605.
“Commodity,” except as otherwise provided in Section 58747, means any agricultural, aquacultural, horticultural (including floricultural), vermicultural, viticultural (including wine) or vegetable product which is produced in this state, any fish or seafood, or any class, variety, or utilization of that product, either in its natural state or as processed by a processor or as processed by a producer for the purpose of marketing that product. It includes bees, honey, and milk as defined in Section 32511. It does not, however, include timber or any timber product.
The Legislature hereby declares that the addition of the phrase “(including wine)” in this section is made for the purpose of clarification only and shall not be construed or interpreted as an indication that wine is not a commodity as originally defined by Chapter 404, Statutes of 1937, and as heretofore amended. The Legislature further declares that at the time of the original enactment of the definition of the term “commodity” and at all times since, it intended that wine be, and wine was, included within the definition of the term. Every marketing order issued, signed, or declared effective prior to July 15, 1941, and every act of the director prior to such date which was performed pursuant to the provisions of this chapter and consistent with the declarations which are contained in this paragraph are hereby confirmed, ratified, and validated.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 58606. Section 58606.
“Directly affecting” or “directly affected” is synonymous with “directly regulating” and “directly regulated,” and means the direct application of regulations upon any person, including the requirement to pay assessments which are levied pursuant to any marketing order or marketing agreement which is issued by the director pursuant to this chapter. A requirement upon handlers to deduct and remit to the director assessments that are owed by producers under a marketing order or marketing agreement which is applicable upon producers only, does not, however, directly regulate such handlers.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 58607. Section 58607.
“Distributing” means engaging in the business of a distributor as defined in Section 58608.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 58608. Section 58608.
“Distributor” means any person that engages in the operation of selling, marketing, or distributing, in intrastate commerce any commodity which he has produced or purchased or acquired from a producer or which he is marketing on behalf of a producer, whether as owner, agent, employee, broker, or otherwise. It does not, however, include a retailer, except a retailer that purchases or acquires from, or handles on behalf of any producer, any commodity which was not previously subjected to regulation by the marketing order which covers such commodity.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 58608.1. Section 58608.1.
“Educational program,” unless otherwise defined in this chapter, means a program established by the director pursuant to this chapter that provides for the planning and implementation of activities designed to inform the general public of the processes of producing agricultural commodities and designed to foster cooperation and understanding between urban and rural sectors of society.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 58609. Section 58609.
“Fish” means every form of fish, either salt water or fresh water fish, which is used for human consumption, except fish for canning, retorting, reduction, or use in an extraction process.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 58610. Section 58610.
“General rules and regulations” means rules and regulations, which are applicable to all marketing orders and marketing agreements and are issued and made effective by the director without prior notice and public hearing, to provide uniform methods and procedures to facilitate the administration and enforcement of all such marketing orders and marketing agreements. Such uniform methods and procedures may include but shall not be limited to any of the following:
(a)
Methods and procedures which pertain to the receiving, depositing, and expenditure of moneys which are received from assessments collected pursuant to this chapter.
(b)
The preparation, handling, and payment of claim schedules for the payment of bills, salaries, and other obligations.
(c)
Establishing the maximum rates to be allowed for travel expenses of board members and board employees.
(d)
The preparation, verification, and filing of evidence which relates to violations of marketing orders, agreements, and marketing regulations which are authorized pursuant to this chapter and other fiscal and administrative activities which the director finds are necessary to obtain reasonable uniformity, efficiency, and economy in the administration and enforcement of such marketing orders and agreements of this chapter.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 58611. Section 58611.
“Handler,” except with respect to fish and seafood, means any person that is engaged within this state as a distributor in the business of distributing any commodity in intrastate commerce, or any person that is engaged as a processor in the business of processing any commodity. With respect to fish and seafood, it means any person that is engaged in the business of the distribution or sale of fish or seafood to restaurants, or to retailers for resale to consumers, or to any other persons or concerns for resale or for sale direct to consumers.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 58612. Section 58612.
“Handling” means engaging in the business of a handler as defined in Section 58611.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 58613. Section 58613.
“Major amendments” mean amendments to any marketing order or agreement which are made pursuant to Article 13 (commencing with Section 59021) of this chapter. It does not include a seasonal marketing regulation.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 58614. Section 58614.
“Marketed by producers” means producer marketing, as defined by Section 58621.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 58615. Section 58615.
“Marketing order” means an order which is issued by the director, pursuant to this chapter, which prescribes rules and regulations that govern the processing, distributing, or handling in any manner of any commodity within this state during any specified period.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 58616. Section 58616.
“Minor amendments” are amendments to any marketing order or agreement which are made effective by the director upon recommendation of the advisory board which is concerned, as specified in Article 14 (commencing with Section 59051) of this chapter, with or without prior notice and public hearing, which change or modify the language or the provisions of any such marketing order or agreement for the purpose of clarification, or the removal of conflicts of meaning without involving changes or modifications of language, or provisions which are classed as major amendments.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 58617. Section 58617.
“Person” means an individual, firm, corporation, association, or any other business unit, and, for the purposes of this chapter, includes any state agency which engages in any of the commercial activities which are regulated pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 58618. Section 58618.
“Processing” means engaging in the business of a processor as defined in Section 58619.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 58619. Section 58619.
“Processor” means any person that is engaged within this state in the operation of receiving, grading, packing, canning, fermenting, distilling, extracting, preserving, grinding, crushing, or changing the form of any commodity for the purpose of preparing it for market or of marketing such commodity, or any other activities which are performed for the purpose of preparing it for market or of marketing such commodity. It does not, however, include a person that is engaged in manufacturing from any commodity, so changed in form, another and different product.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 58620. Section 58620.
“Producer” means any person that is engaged within this state in the business of producing, or causing to be produced for market, any commodity.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 58621. Section 58621.
“Producer marketing” means any or all operations which are performed by any producer in preparing for market. It includes selling, delivering, or disposing of for commercial purposes, to any handler any commodity which the producer has produced.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 58622. Section 58622.
“Retailer” means any person that purchases or acquires any commodity for resale at retail to the general public for consumption off the premises. Such person is also included within the definition of distributor, to the extent that such person engages in the business of a distributor as defined in Section 58607.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 58623. Section 58623.
“Seafood” means shellfish and every other form of animal or plant life which is taken from fresh or salt water and used for human consumption, except seafood which is used for canning, retorting, reduction, or used in an extraction process.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 58624. Section 58624.
“Seasonal marketing regulations” mean marketing regulations that are applicable to a particular marketing order or agreement which are made effective by the director pursuant to Article 19 (commencing with Section 59171) of this chapter.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026