US Code

Public Law 119-73 (01/23/2026)

21 U.S.C. § 606

Inspection and labeling of meat food products

(a)

In general

Provided1

1 See References in Text note below.
For the purposes hereinbefore set forth the Secretary shall cause to be made, by inspectors appointed for that purpose, an examination and inspection of all meat food products prepared for commerce in any slaughtering, meat-canning, salting, packing, rendering, or similar establishment, and for the purposes of any examination and inspection and inspectors shall have access at all times, by day or night, whether the establishment be operated or not, to every part of said establishment; and said inspectors shall mark, stamp, tag, or label as “Inspected and passed” all such products found to be not adulterated; and said inspectors shall label, mark, stamp, or tag as “Inspected and condemned” all such products found adulterated, and all such condemned meat food products shall be destroyed for food purposes, as hereinbefore provided, and the Secretary may remove inspectors from any establishment which fails to so destroy such condemned meat food products: , That subject to the rules and regulations of the Secretary the provisions of this section in regard to preservatives shall not apply to meat food products for export to any foreign country and which are prepared or packed according to the specifications or directions of the foreign purchaser, when no substance is used in the preparation or packing thereof in conflict with the laws of the foreign country to which said article is to be exported; but if said article shall be in fact sold or offered for sale for domestic use or consumption then this proviso shall not exempt said article from the operation of all the other provisions of this chapter.

(b)

Certain fish

section 601(w)(2) of this titleIn the case of an examination and inspection under subsection (a) of a meat food product derived from any fish described in , the Secretary shall take into account the conditions under which the fish is raised and transported to a processing establishment.

Mar. 4, 1907, ch. 2907Pub. L. 110–234, title XI, § 11016(b)(1)(B)122 Stat. 1369Pub. L. 110–246, § 4(a)122 Stat. 1664Pub. L. 113–79, title XII, § 12106(a)(2)128 Stat. 981(, title I, § 6, as added , , , and , title XI, § 11016(b)(1)(B), , , 2131; amended , , .)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

act Mar. 4, 1907, ch. 2907Pub. L. 90–20181 Stat. 584This chapter, referred to in subsec. (a), probably should have been a reference to this Act in the original, meaning the Federal Meat Inspection Act, titles I to V of , as added , , , which are classified generally to subchapters I to IV–A of this chapter.

Codification

Pub. L. 110–234Pub. L. 110–246Pub. L. 110–234section 4(a) of Pub. L. 110–246 and enacted identical sections and repealed former section 6 of act . was repealed by .

Prior Provisions

Mar. 4, 1907, ch. 290734 Stat. 1261Pub. L. 90–20181 Stat. 584Pub. L. 99–641, title IV, § 403(a)100 Stat. 3567section 74 of this titlePub. L. 110–234, title XI, § 11016(b)(1)(B)122 Stat. 1369Pub. L. 110–246, § 4(a)122 Stat. 1664

Provided“For the purposes hereinbefore set forth the Secretary shall cause to be made, by inspectors appointed for that purpose, an examination and inspection of all meat food products prepared for commerce in any slaughtering, meat-canning, salting, packing, rendering, or similar establishment, and for the purposes of any examination and inspection and inspectors shall have access at all times, by day or night, whether the establishment be operated or not, to every part of said establishment; and said inspectors shall mark, stamp, tag, or label as ‘Inspected and passed’ all such products found to be not adulterated; and said inspectors shall label, mark, stamp, or tag as ‘Inspected and condemned’ all such products found adulterated, and all such condemned meat food products shall be destroyed for food purposes, as hereinbefore provided, and the Secretary may remove inspectors from any establishment which fails to so destroy such condemned meat food products: , That subject to the rules and regulations of the Secretary the provisions of this section in regard to preservatives shall not apply to meat food products for export to any foreign country and which are prepared or packed according to the specifications or directions of the foreign purchaser, when no substance is used in the preparation or packing thereof in conflict with the laws of the foreign country to which said article is to be exported; but if said article shall be in fact sold or offered for sale for domestic use or consumption then this proviso shall not exempt said article from the operation of all the other provisions of this chapter.”
A prior section 606, acts , title I, § 6, formerly 4th par., ; renumbered § 6 and amended , §§ 1, 3, 12(e), , , 588, 592; , , , was formerly classified to and was repealed by , , , and , title XI, § 11016(b)(1)(B), , , 2131. Prior to repeal, section read as follows:

Amendments

Pub. L. 113–792014—Subsec. (b). added subsec. (b) and struck out former subsec. (b). Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “In the case of an examination and inspection under subsection (a) of a meat food product derived from catfish, the Secretary shall take into account the conditions under which the catfish is raised and transported to a processing establishment.”

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2014 Amendment

Pub. L. 113–79section 11016(b) of Pub. L. 110–246section 12106(c) of Pub. L. 113–79section 601 of this titleAmendment by effective as if enacted as part of , see , set out as a note under .

Effective Date

Pub. L. 110–234Pub. L. 110–246Pub. L. 110–234section 4 of Pub. L. 110–246section 8701 of Title 7Enactment of this section and repeal of former section 6 of act , and by effective , the date of enactment of , except as otherwise provided, see , set out as a note under , Agriculture.