Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18650. Section 18650.
This chapter shall be known as the California Meat and Poultry Inspection Act.
ARTICLE 1. Definitions and Short Title [18650. - 18677.]
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC 1.
in effectCal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18651. Section 18651.
Unless the context otherwise requires, the definitions in this article govern the construction of this chapter.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18652. Section 18652.
“Adulterated” means any livestock product or poultry product which is in violation of Article 4 (commencing with Section 18751) of this chapter.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18653. Section 18653.
“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.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18654. Section 18654.
“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 another person.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18655. Section 18655.
“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.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18656. Section 18656.
“Container” or “package” means any box, can, tin, cloth, plastic, or other receptacle, wrapper, or cover.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18657. Section 18657.
“Federal acts” means the Federal Meat Inspection Act and Federal Poultry Products Inspection Act.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18658. Section 18658.
“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.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18659. Section 18659.
“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.).
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18660. Section 18660.
“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. ).
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18661. Section 18661.
“Inspector” means an employee of the department authorized to perform any inspection function under this chapter.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18662. Section 18662.
“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.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18663. Section 18663.
“Livestock” means any cattle, sheep, swine, goat, or any horse, mule or other equine, whether live or dead.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18664. Section 18664.
“Livestock product” means any carcass, part of a carcass, meat, or meat food product of any livestock.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18665. Section 18665.
“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 portion of such a carcass only in a relatively small proportion which is found by the director not to be a product of the meat food industry for the purposes of this chapter, under such conditions as he may prescribe to assure that the meat or other portion of such carcass which is contained in such product is not adulterated and that such product is not represented as a meat food product. The term meat food product, as applied to any food product of any equine, has the same meaning as is provided in this paragraph with respect to meat food products of cattle, sheep, swine, and goats.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18666. Section 18666.
“Misbranded” means any livestock product or poultry product which is in violation of Article 5 (commencing with Section 18781) of this chapter.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18667. Section 18667.
“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.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18668. Section 18668.
“Official device” means any device which is prescribed or authorized by the director for use in applying any official mark.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18669. Section 18669.
“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.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18670. Section 18670.
“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.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18671. Section 18671.
“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.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18672. Section 18672.
“Person” includes any individual, partnership, corporation, limited liability company, association, or other business unit, and any officer, agent, or employee thereof.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18673. Section 18673.
“Pesticide chemical,” “food additive,” “color additive,” and “raw agricultural commodity” shall have the same meanings as under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18674. Section 18674.
“Prepared” means slaughtered, canned, salted, stuffed, rendered, boned, cut up, or otherwise manufactured or processed.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18675. Section 18675.
“Poultry” means any domesticated bird, whether live or dead.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18676. Section 18676.
“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 only in a relatively small proportion which is found by him not to be a product of the poultry food industry for the purposes of this chapter, under such condition as he may prescribe to assure that the poultry ingredient in such product is not adulterated and that such product is not represented as a poultry product.
Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18677. Section 18677.
“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.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026