ARTICLE 3. Inspections and Regulations [18721. - 18738.]

Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC 3.
in effect

Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18721. Section 18721.

To accomplish the purposes of Article 2 (commencing with Section 18691) of this chapter, the director shall require ante mortem and post mortem inspections, quarantine, segregation, and reinspections with respect to the slaughter of any livestock or poultry, or the preparation of any livestock product or poultry product at every establishment in this state, except an establishment which is exempted by him under Section 18811, at which livestock or poultry are slaughtered, or any livestock product or poultry product, is prepared for human food solely for distribution in intrastate commerce.

Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18722. Section 18722.

The director shall require the identification of livestock and poultry for inspection purposes, and the marking and labeling of any livestock product or poultry product or its containers, or both, as either: (a) “California Inspected and Passed,” if the product is found upon inspection to be not adulterated. (b) “California Inspected and Condemned,” if the product is found upon inspection to be adulterated. The destruction for food purposes of any product condemned under this subdivision shall be under the supervision of an inspector.

Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18723. Section 18723.

The director shall prohibit the entry into official establishments of any livestock product or poultry product which was not prepared under federal inspection or inspection pursuant to this chapter and further limit the entry of any such product or other materials into such establishments under such conditions as he deems neccessary to effectuate the purposes of this chapter.

Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18724. Section 18724.

The director shall require that when any livestock product or poultry product leaves official establishments it shall bear directly thereon or on its containers, or both, as he may require, all information required under Article 5 (commencing with Section 18781) and require approval of all labeling and containers to be used for such product when it is sold or transported in intrastate commerce to assure that the product and the labeling and containers comply with the requirements of this chapter.

Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18725. Section 18725.

The director shall investigate the sanitary conditions of each establishment required to have inspection under Section 18721 and shall withdraw or otherwise refuse to provide inspection service at any establishment where the sanitary conditions are such as to render adulterated any livestock product or poultry product which is prepared or handled at the establishment. No such establishment shall be operated without inspection.

Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18727. Section 18727.

The director shall require the following classes of persons to keep such records and for such periods as he may specify, to fully and correctly disclose all transactions involved in their business, and afford to the director and his representatives, access to such places of business, and opportunity, at all reasonable times, to examine the facilities, inventory and such records, to copy the records, and to take reasonable samples of the inventory: (a) Any person that engages in intrastate commerce in the business of slaughtering any livestock or poultry, or preparing, freezing, packaging or labeling, buying or selling (as brokers, wholesalers or otherwise), transporting, or storing any livestock product or poultry product which is intended for human or animal food. (b) Any person that engages in intrastate commerce in the business of rendering or in the buying, selling, or transporting of any dead, dying, disabled, or diseased livestock or poultry, or any part of the carcass of any such animal (including poultry) that died otherwise than by slaughter.

Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18728. Section 18728.

The director may refuse to provide inspection service to any establishment that fails to destroy any condemned product as required pursuant to Section 18722 and any regulation promulgated thereunder.

Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18729. Section 18729.

The director may refuse to provide inspection service under this chapter with respect to any establishment for any cause specified in Section 401 of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C., Sec. 671) or Section 18 of the Federal Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C., Sec. 467).

Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18730. Section 18730.

The director may order any labeling or container to be withheld from use if he determines that the labeling is false or misleading or the container is of a misleading size or form.

Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18731. Section 18731.

The director may prescribe the size and style of any type which is to be used for labeling information required pursuant to this chapter, and definitions and standards of identity or composition or standards of fill of container, consistent with federal standards, when he deems such action appropriate for the protection of the public and after consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture of the United States.

Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18732. Section 18732.

The director may prescribe conditions of storage and handling of any livestock product or poultry product by any person engaged in the business of buying, selling, freezing, storing, or transporting such livestock or poultry product in intrastate commerce to assure that it will not be adulterated or misbranded when delivered to the consumer, including requirements that any vehicle used by any establishment which operates under state inspection for transporting any dressed carcass of any animal, including any poultry, intended for human consumption, any part of any such carcass, meat, meat food product, or poultry product inspected and marked pursuant to this chapter shall be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition and shall be regularly inspected by an inspector stationed at the establishment.

Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18733. Section 18733.

Equines shall be slaughtered and prepared in establishments separate from any establishment where any other livestock is slaughtered or any product of any other livestock is prepared.

Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18734. Section 18734.

Every person that is engaged in business in intrastate commerce as a broker, renderer, animal food manufacturer, or wholesaler or public warehouseman of any livestock product or poultry product, or engaged in the business of buying, selling, or transporting in intrastate commerce, any dead, dying, disabled, or diseased livestock or poultry or any part of the carcass of any such animal, including any poultry, that died otherwise than by slaughter shall register with the director his name, the address of each place of business, and all trade names under which he conducts such business.

Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18735. Section 18735.

The director may adopt, by reference or otherwise, such provisions of the rules and regulations under the federal acts, with such changes therein as he deems appropriate to make them applicable to operations and transactions subject to this chapter, which shall have the same force and effect as if promulgated under this chapter, and promulgate such other regulations as he deems necessary for the efficient execution of the provisions of this chapter.

Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18736. Section 18736.

The director may appoint and prescribe the duties of such inspectors and other personnel as he deems necessary for the efficient execution of the provisions of this chapter.

Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18737. Section 18737.

No inspection of any product placed in any container at any official establishment shall be deemed to be complete until the product is sealed or enclosed in the container under the supervision of an inspector.

Cal. Food and Agricultural Code - FAC § 18738. Section 18738.

For purposes of any inspection of any product required by this chapter, any inspector authorized by the director shall have access at all times, by day or night, to every part of every establishment required to have inspection under this chapter, whether the establishment is operating or not.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026

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