California Code
PART 3 - SLAUGHTERED ANIMALS
CHAPTER 4 - Meat and Poultry Inspection

ARTICLE 1 - Definitions and Short Title

Section 18650. - 18650. This chapter shall be known as the California Meat...

Section 18651. - 18651. Unless the context otherwise requires, the definitions in this...

Section 18652. - 18652. “Adulterated” means any livestock product or poultry product which...

Section 18653. - 18653. “Animal food manufacturer” means any person that is engaged...

Section 18654. - 18654. “Broker” means any person that is engaged in the...

Section 18655. - 18655. “Capable of use as human food” means any livestock...

Section 18656. - 18656. “Container” or “package” means any box, can, tin, cloth,...

Section 18657. - 18657. “Federal acts” means the Federal Meat Inspection Act and...

Section 18658. - 18658. “Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act” means the act...

Section 18659. - 18659. “Federal Meat Inspection Act” means the act so entitled...

Section 18660. - 18660. “Federal Poultry Products Inspection Act” means the act so...

Section 18661. - 18661. “Inspector” means an employee of the department authorized to...

Section 18662. - 18662. “Label” means a display of written, printed, or graphic...

Section 18663. - 18663. “Livestock” means any cattle, sheep, swine, goat, or any...

Section 18664. - 18664. “Livestock product” means any carcass, part of a carcass,...

Section 18665. - 18665. “Meat food product” means any product which is capable...

Section 18666. - 18666. “Misbranded” means any livestock product or poultry product which...

Section 18667. - 18667. “Official certificate” means any certificate which is prescribed by...

Section 18668. - 18668. “Official device” means any device which is prescribed or...

Section 18669. - 18669. “Official establishment” means any establishment at which inspection of...

Section 18670. - 18670. “Official inspection legend” means any symbol which is prescribed...

Section 18671. - 18671. “Offical mark” means the official inspection legend or any...

Section 18672. - 18672. “Person” includes any individual, partnership, corporation, limited liability company,...

Section 18673. - 18673. “Pesticide chemical,” “food additive,” “color additive,” and “raw agricultural...

Section 18674. - 18674. “Prepared” means slaughtered, canned, salted, stuffed, rendered, boned, cut...

Section 18675. - 18675. “Poultry” means any domesticated bird, whether live or dead....

Section 18676. - 18676. “Poultry product” means any poultry carcass, any part of...

Section 18677. - 18677. “Renderer” means any person that is engaged in the...

ARTICLE 2 - General Provisions

Section 18691. - 18691. Meat, meat food products, poultry, and poultry products are...

Section 18692. - 18692. It is the objective of this chapter to provide...

Section 18693. - 18693. The regulations which are adopted pursuant to this chapter...

Section 18694. - 18694. This chapter applies to any person, establishment, animal, or...

Section 18695. - 18695. If slaughtering or carcass preparation or processing of any...

Section 18696. - 18696. The director may cooperate with the Secretary of Agriculture...

Section 18697. - 18697. The director may do all of the following: (a)...

ARTICLE 3 - Inspections and Regulations

Section 18721. - 18721. To accomplish the purposes of Article 2 (commencing with...

Section 18722. - 18722. The director shall require the identification of livestock and...

Section 18723. - 18723. The director shall prohibit the entry into official establishments...

Section 18724. - 18724. The director shall require that when any livestock product...

Section 18725. - 18725. The director shall investigate the sanitary conditions of each...

Section 18726. - 18726. The director shall prescribe sanitation requirements for all establishments...

Section 18727. - 18727. The director shall require the following classes of persons...

Section 18728. - 18728. The director may refuse to provide inspection service to...

Section 18729. - 18729. The director may refuse to provide inspection service under...

Section 18730. - 18730. The director may order any labeling or container to...

Section 18731. - 18731. The director may prescribe the size and style of...

Section 18732. - 18732. The director may prescribe conditions of storage and handling...

Section 18733. - 18733. Equines shall be slaughtered and prepared in establishments separate...

Section 18734. - 18734. Every person that is engaged in business in intrastate...

Section 18735. - 18735. The director may adopt, by reference or otherwise, such...

Section 18736. - 18736. The director may appoint and prescribe the duties of...

Section 18737. - 18737. No inspection of any product placed in any container...

Section 18738. - 18738. For purposes of any inspection of any product required...

ARTICLE 4 - Adulteration

Section 18751. - 18751. A livestock or poultry product is adulterated if it...

Section 18752. - 18752. A livestock or poultry product is adulterated in each...

Section 18753. - 18753. A livestock or poultry product is adulterated if it...

Section 18754. - 18754. A livestock or poultry product is adulterated if it...

Section 18755. - 18755. A livestock or poultry product is adulterated if it...

Section 18756. - 18756. A livestock or poultry product is adulterated if its...

Section 18757. - 18757. A livestock or poultry product is adulterated if it...

Section 18758. - 18758. A livestock or poultry product is adulterated in each...

Section 18759. - 18759. A livestock or poultry product is adulterated if it...

ARTICLE 5 - Misbranding

Section 18781. - 18781. A livestock or poultry product is misbranded in each...

Section 18782. - 18782. A livestock or poultry product is misbranded unless it...

Section 18783. - 18783. A livestock or poultry product is misbranded if any...

Section 18784. - 18784. A livestock or poultry product is misbranded if it...

Section 18785. - 18785. A livestock or poultry product is misbranded if it...

Section 18786. - 18786. A livestock or poultry product is misbranded if it...

Section 18787. - 18787. A livestock or poultry product is misbranded if it...

Section 18788. - 18788. A livestock or poultry product is misbranded if it...

Section 18789. - 18789. A livestock or poultry product is misbranded if it...

ARTICLE 6 - Exemptions

Section 18811. - 18811. For the purposes of Article 2 (commencing with Section...

Section 18812. - 18812. The director shall exempt from inspection the slaughtering and...

Section 18813. - 18813. The director shall not provide inspection under this chapter...

Section 18814. - 18814. (a) This chapter shall apply to a retail store...

ARTICLE 7 - Violations

Section 18841. - 18841. It is unlawful for any person to slaughter any...

Section 18842. - 18842. It is unlawful for any person to sell, transport,...

Section 18843. - 18843. It is unlawful for any person to do, with...

Section 18844. - 18844. It is unlawful for any person to sell, transport,...

Section 18845. - 18845. It is unlawful for any person to violate any...

Section 18846. - 18846. It is unlawful for any brand manufacturer, printer, or...

Section 18847. - 18847. It is unlawful for any person to do any...

Section 18848. - 18848. It is unlawful for any person to sell any...

Section 18849. - 18849. It is unlawful for any person to sell, transport,...

Section 18850. - 18850. It is unlawful for any person to buy, sell,...

Section 18851. - 18851. It is unlawful for any person engaged in the...

Section 18852. - 18852. It is unlawful for any person to give, pay,...

Section 18853. - 18853. It is unlawful for any officer or employee of...

Section 18854. - 18854. It is unlawful for any person to forcibly assault,...

Section 18855. - 18855. It is unlawful for any person to neglect or...

Section 18856. - 18856. It is unlawful for any person to willfully make,...

Section 18857. - 18857. It is unlawful for any person required by this...

ARTICLE 8 - Products in Violation

Section 18871. - 18871. Since it cannot be determined with certainty, by any...

Section 18872. - 18872. Whenever any livestock product or poultry product or any...

Section 18873. - 18873. Any livestock product or poultry product or any dead,...

Section 18874. - 18874. The provisions of Section 18873 shall in no way...

ARTICLE 9 - Investigations

Section 18901. - 18901. The director may gather and compile information, and investigate...

Section 18902. - 18902. The director may require, by general or special orders,...

Section 18903. - 18903. For the purpose of this chapter, the director shall...

Section 18904. - 18904. Attendance of witnesses, and the production of documentary evidence,...

Section 18905. - 18905. The superior court within the jurisdiction of which such...

Section 18906. - 18906. The director may order testimony to be taken by...

Section 18907. - 18907. Witnesses summoned before the director shall be paid the...

Section 18908. - 18908. No person shall be excused from attending and testifying,...

ARTICLE 10 - Penalties

Section 18931. - 18931. Upon the issuance of an order of the director...

Section 18932. - 18932. Any person who is found guilty of violating any...

Section 18932.1. - 18932.1. Any person that violates any provision of this chapter,...

Section 18932.2. - 18932.2. (a) In lieu of any civil action brought pursuant...

Section 18933. - 18933. Any person who, as principal or agent, employer or...

Section 18934. - 18934. In addition to the remedies provided in this chapter,...

Section 18935. - 18935. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as requiring...