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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>62290</law_id><section_number>3.2-5400</section_number><catch_line>Definitions</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>15.2-1109</reference><reference>3.2-5143</reference><reference>3.2-5145</reference><reference>62.1-44.17:1.1</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="3.2">Agriculture, Animal Care, and Food</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="IV">Food and Drink; Weights and Measures</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="54">Slaughterhouses, Meat, and Dressed Poultry</unit><unit label="article" level="4" order_by="1" identifier="1">General Provisions</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Animal food manufacturer</span>&#x201D; means any person engaged in the business of preparing animal (including poultry) food derived wholly or in part from livestock or poultry carcasses or parts or products of such carcasses.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Broker</span>&#x201D; means any person engaged in the business of buying or selling <span class="dictionary">livestock products</span> or <span class="dictionary">poultry products</span> on commission, or otherwise negotiating purchases or sales of such articles other than for his own account or as an employee of another person.
		&#x201C;Capable of use as human food&#x201D; shall apply to any livestock or poultry carcass, or part or product of any such carcass, unless it is denatured or otherwise identified as required by regulations prescribed by the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> to deter its use as human food, or it is naturally inedible by humans.
		&#x201C;Container&#x201D; or &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">package</span>&#x201D; means any box, can, tin, cloth, plastic, or other receptacle, wrapper, or cover.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Federal acts</span>&#x201D; means the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. &#xA7;&#xA0;601 et seq.) and the federal <span class="dictionary">Poultry Products</span> Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. &#xA7;&#xA0;451 et seq.).
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Immediate container</span>&#x201D; means any consumer <span class="dictionary">package</span>; or any other container in which <span class="dictionary">livestock products</span> or <span class="dictionary">poultry products</span>, not consumer packaged, are packed.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Inspector</span>&#x201D; means an employee or official of the Commonwealth authorized by the <span class="dictionary">Commissioner</span> or any employee or official of the government of any locality authorized by the <span class="dictionary">Commissioner</span> to perform any inspection functions under this article under an agreement between the <span class="dictionary">Commissioner</span> and such governmental subdivision.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Label</span>&#x201D; means a display of written, printed, or graphic matter upon any article or the <span class="dictionary">immediate container</span> (not including <span class="dictionary">package</span> liners) of any article.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Labeling</span>&#x201D; means all <span class="dictionary">labels</span> and other written, printed, or graphic matter: (i) upon any article or any of its <span class="dictionary">containers</span> or wrappers; or (ii) accompanying such article.
		&#x201C;Livestock&#x201D; means any cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules, or other equines, whether live or dead.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Livestock product</span>&#x201D; means any carcass, part thereof, meat, or <span class="dictionary">meat food product</span> of any livestock.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Meat food product</span>&#x201D; means any product 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 goats. Products that contain meat or other portions of such carcasses only in a relatively small proportion or historically have not been considered by consumers as products of the meat food industry, and that are exempted from definition as a <span class="dictionary">meat food product</span> by the <span class="dictionary">Commissioner</span> under such conditions as he may prescribe to assure that the meat or other portions of such carcass contained in such product are not adulterated and that such products are not represented as <span class="dictionary">meat food products</span>. This term as applied to food products of equines shall have a comparable meaning.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Official certificate</span>&#x201D; means any certificate prescribed by regulations of the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> for issuance by an <span class="dictionary">inspector</span> or other person performing official functions under this article.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Official device</span>&#x201D; means any device prescribed or authorized by the <span class="dictionary">Commissioner</span> for use in applying any <span class="dictionary">official mark</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Official establishment</span>&#x201D; means any establishment as determined by the <span class="dictionary">Commissioner</span> at which inspection of the slaughter of livestock or poultry or the preparation of <span class="dictionary">livestock products</span> or <span class="dictionary">poultry products</span> is maintained under the authority of this article.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Official inspection legend</span>&#x201D; means any symbol prescribed by regulations of the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> showing that an article was inspected and passed in accordance with this article.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Official mark</span>&#x201D; means the <span class="dictionary">official inspection legend</span> or any other symbol prescribed by regulations of the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> to identify the status of any article or livestock or poultry under this article.
		&#x201C;Pesticide chemical,&#x201D; &#x201C;food additive,&#x201D; &#x201C;color additive,&#x201D; and &#x201C;raw agricultural commodity&#x201D; shall have the same meanings for purposes of this article as under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. &#xA7;&#xA0;321 et seq.).
		&#x201C;Poultry&#x201D; means any domesticated bird, whether live or dead.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Poultry product</span>&#x201D; means any poultry carcass or part thereof; or any product that is made wholly or in part from any poultry carcass or part thereof, excepting products that contain poultry ingredients only in a relatively small proportion or historically have not been considered by consumers as products of the poultry food industry, and that are exempted by the <span class="dictionary">Commissioner</span> from definition as a <span class="dictionary">poultry product</span> under such conditions as he may prescribe to assure that the poultry ingredients in such products are not adulterated and that such products are not represented as <span class="dictionary">poultry products</span>.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Prepared</span>&#x201D; means slaughtered, canned, salted, stuffed, rendered, boned, cut up, or otherwise manufactured or processed.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Render</span>&#x201D; means any person engaged in the business of rendering livestock or poultry carcasses, or parts of products of such carcasses, except rendering conducted under inspection or exemption under this article.
		&#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Shipping container</span>&#x201D; means any container used or intended for use in packaging the product packed in an <span class="dictionary">immediate container</span>.</p></section></text><history>1970, c. 290, &#xA7; 3.1-884.18; 2008, c. 860; 2020, c. 318.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
