CFR Part 316

CFR Part 316
in effect

9 C.F.R. § 316.1 Authorization required to make devices bearing official marks.

No brand manufacturer, printer or other person shall cast, print, lithograph, or otherwise make or cause to be made any device containing any official mark or simulation thereof without prior written authority therefor from the Administrator as provided for in part 317 of this subchapter.

9 C.F.R. § 316.2 Approval required for official marks.

No device containing any official mark shall be made or caused to be made for use on any product until it has been approved by the Administrator as provided for in part 317 of this subchapter.

9 C.F.R. § 316.3 Use of official marks prohibited except under supervision of Program employee; removal of official marks, when required.

(a) No person shall affix or place, or cause to be affixed or placed, the official inspection legend or any other official mark, or any abbreviation or simulation of any official mark, to or on any product, or container thereof, except under the supervision of a Program employee, or as authorized by part 317 of this subchapter in connection with the manufacture of containers. (b) No person shall fill, or cause to be filled, in whole or in part, with any product, any container bearing or intended to bear any official mark, or any abbreviation or simulation of any official mark, except under the supervision of a Program employee. (c) Product bearing any official mark shall not be canned, cooked, cured, smoked, salted, packed, rendered, or otherwise prepared by any person for commercial purposes unless: (1) Such preparation is performed at an official establishment; or (2) Such preparation is conducted under State or other governmental inspection and the prepared product is marked to show that fact; or (3) The official marks are removed, defaced, or otherwise destroyed before or during such preparation; or (4) The preparation of the product consists solely of cutting up operations at any establishment exempted from inspection under paragraph 301(c)(2) of the Act or equal provisions of a law of a State or organized Territory or at any establishment in an unorganized Territory exempted under paragraph 23(b) of the Act.

9 C.F.R. § 316.4 Marking devices; to be furnished by official establishments; control of.

(a) The operator of each official establishment or official import inspection establishment shall furnish such ink brands, burning brands, and any other device for marking products with official marks as the Administrator may determine is necessary for marking products at such establishment. The official inspection legend on such a device shall be as prescribed in part 312 of this subchapter. (b) All official devices for marking products with the official inspection legend, or other official inspection marks, including self-locking seals, shall be used only under supervision of a Program employee, and, when not in use for marking shall be kept locked in properly equipped locks or compartments, the keys of which shall not leave the possession of a Program employee, or the locker or compartment shall be sealed with an official seal of the Department as prescribed in part 312 of this subchapter.

9 C.F.R. § 316.5 Branding ink; to be furnished by official establishments; approval by Program; color.

(a) The operator of each official establishment shall furnish all ink for marking products with the official marks at such establishment. Such ink must be made with harmless ingredients that are approved for the purpose by the Administrator. Samples of inks shall be submitted to the Program laboratory from time to time as may be deemed necessary by the inspector in charge. (b) Only ink approved for the purpose shall be used to apply ink brands bearing official marks to carcasses of cattle, sheep, swine, or goats and fresh meat cuts derived therefrom. Any ink containing F.D. & C. Violet No. 1 shall not be considered an approved ink within the meaning of this paragraph. (c) Green ink shall not be used to apply marks to carcasses of cattle, sheep, swine, or goats or fresh meat cuts derived therefrom. (d) Except as provided in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, branding ink of any color, approved for the purpose by the Administrator in specific cases, may be used to apply ink brands, bearing official marks, to processed meat cuts derived from cattle, sheep, swine, or goats. (e) Only green ink approved for the purpose shall be used to apply ink brands bearing official marks to carcasses and parts of carcasses and meat cuts derived from horses, mules, and other equines. (f) Ink used must assure legibility and permanence of the markings and the color of ink shall provide acceptable contrast with the color of the product to which it is applied.

9 C.F.R. § 316.6 Products not to be removed from official establishments unless marked in accordance with the regulations.

No person shall remove or cause to be removed from an official establishment any products which the regulations in this subchapter require to be marked in any way unless they are clearly and legibly marked in compliance with such regulations.

9 C.F.R. § 316.7 Marking devices not to be false or misleading; style and size of lettering; approval required.

No brand or other marking device shall be false or misleading. The letters and figures thereon shall be of such style and type as will make a clear and legible impression. All markings to be applied to products in an official establishment shall be approved prior to use by the Administrator as provided for in § 317.3 of this subchapter, except that official markings prescribed by the Federal meat grading regulations (7 CFR 53.19) need not be submitted to the Administrator for approval.

9 C.F.R. § 316.8 Unmarked inspected products; moved between official establishments; moved in commerce.

(a) Unmarked products which have been inspected and passed but do not bear the official inspection legend may be transported in compliance with part 325 of this subchapter from one official establishment to another official establishment, for further processing, in a railroad car, truck, or other closed container, if the railroad car, truck, or container is sealed with an official seal of the Department (as prescribed in part 312 of this subchapter) bearing the official inspection legend. (b) Products which have been inspected and passed but do not bear the official inspection legend may be removed from an official establishment in closed containers bearing the official inspection legend and all other information required by this part and part 317 of this subchapter: Provided, That upon removal from such closed container the product may not be further transported in commerce unless such removal is made under the supervision of a Program employee and such product is reinspected by a Program employee and packed under his supervision in containers bearing the official inspection legend and all other information required by this part and part 317 of this subchapter: And provided further, That unmarked product shall not be brought into an official establishment in an open container.

9 C.F.R. § 316.9 Products to be marked with official marks.

(a) Each carcass that has been inspected and passed in an official establishment must be marked at the time of inspection with the official inspection legend containing the number of the official establishment, if the carcass is to be shipped into commerce from the establishment without further processing. (b) A passed and inspected carcass that is to be further processed in the slaughtering establishment need not be marked with the official inspection legend at the time of inspection. (c) Except as provided otherwise in § 316.8, each primal part of a carcass and each liver, beef tongue, and beef heart which has been inspected and passed shall be marked with the official inspection legend containing the number of the official establishment before it leaves the establishment in which it is first inspected and passed, and each such inspected and passed product shall be marked with the official inspection legend containing the number of the official establishment where it was last prepared. Additional official marks of inspection may be applied to products as desired to meet local conditions. Primal parts are the wholesale cuts of carcasses as customarily distributed to retailers. The round, flank, loin, rib, plate, brisket, chuck, and shank are primal parts of beef carcasses. Veal, mutton, and goat primal parts are the leg; flank, loin, rack, breast, and shoulder. The ham, belly, loin, shoulder, and jowl are pork primal parts. Equine primal parts are the round, flank, loin, rib, plate, brisket, chuck, and shank. (d) Beef livers shall be marked with the official inspection legend containing the number of the official establishment, at which the cattle involved were slaughtered, on the convex surface of the thickest portion of the organ. (e) Inspected and passed parts of carcasses which are not marked with the official inspection legend under this section shall not enter any official establishment or be sold, transported, or offered for sale or transportation, in commerce, except as provided in § 316.8.

9 C.F.R. § 316.10 Marking of meat food products with official inspection legend and ingredient statement.

(a) Inspected and passed sausages and other products in casings or in link form, of the ordinary “ring” variety or larger shall be marked with the official inspection legend and list of ingredients in accordance with part 317 of this subchapter. The official marks required by this section shall be branded near each end of the sausage or similar product prepared in casings when the product is of a size larger than that customarily sold at retail intact. (b) Inspected and passed sausage and other products, in casings or in link form, of the smaller varieties, shall bear one or more official inspection legends and one or more lists of ingredients in accordance with part 317 of this subchapter on each kilogram (2.205 lbs.) of product, except where such products leave the official establishment completely enclosed in properly labeled immediate containers having a capacity of 5 kilograms (11.025 lbs.) or less and containing a single kind of product: Provided, That such products in properly labeled closed containers exceeding 5 kilograms (11.025 lbs.) capacity, when shipped to another official establishment for further processing or to a governmental agency, need only have the official inspection legend and list of ingredients shown twice throughout the contents of the container. When such products are shipped to another official establishment for further processing, the inspector in charge at the point of origin shall identify the shipment to the inspector in charge at destination by means of Form MP 408-1. (c) The list of ingredients may be applied by stamping, printing, using paper bands, tags, or tissue strips, or other means approved by the Administrator in specific cases. (d) All cured products shall be marked with the list of ingredients in accordance with part 317 of this subchapter.

9 C.F.R. § 316.11 Special markings for certain meat food products.

(a) Meat food products prepared in casing or link form (whether or not thereafter subdivided), other than sausage, which possess the characteristics of or resemble sausage, shall bear on each link or piece the word “imitation” prominently displayed: Provided, That the following need not be so marked if they bear on each link or piece the name of the product in accordance with § 317.2 of this subchapter: Such products as coppa, capocollo, lachschinken, bacon, pork loins, pork shoulder butts, and similar cuts of meat which are prepared without added substance other than curing materials or condiments; meat rolls, bockwurst, and similar products which do not contain cereal or vegetables; headcheese, souse, sulze, scrapple, blood pudding, and liver pudding; and other products such as loaves, chili con carne, and meat and cheese products when prepared with sufficient cheese to give definite characteristics to the finished products: And provided further, That imitation sausage packed in properly labeled containers having a capacity of 3 pounds or less and of a kind usually sold at retail intact, need not bear the word “imitation” on each link or piece if no other marking or labeling is applied directly to the product. (b) When cereal, vegetable starch, starchy vegetable flour, soy flour, soy protein concentrate, isolated soy protein, dried milk, nonfat dry milk, or calcium reduced dried skim milk is added to sausage in casing or in link form within the limits prescribed in part 319 of this subchapter, the products shall be marked with the name of each added ingredient, as for example “cereal added,” “potato flour added,” “cereal and potato flour added,” “soy flour added,” “isolated soy protein added,” “nonfat dry milk added,” “calcium reduced dried skim milk added,” or “cereal and nonfat dry milk added,” as the case may be. (c)(1) When product is placed in a casing to which artificial coloring is thereafter applied, as permitted in part 318 of this subchapter, the product shall be legibly and conspicuously marked by stamping or printing on the casing the words “artificially colored.” (2) If a casing is removed from product at an official establishment and there is evidence of artificial coloring on the surface of the product, the product from which the casing has been removed shall be marked by stamping directly thereon the words “artificially colored.” (3) The casing containing product need not be marked to show that it is colored if it is colored prior to its use as a covering for the product, and the coloring is of a kind and so applied as not to be transferable to the product and not to be misleading or deceptive in any respect. (d) When an approved artificial smoke flavoring or an approved smoke flavoring is added to the formula of any meat food product as permitted in part 318 of this subchapter, the product shall be legibly and conspicuously marked with the words “Artificial Smoke Flavoring Added” or “Smoke Flavoring Added,” whichever may be applicable. (e) Subject to the provisions in paragraph (a) of this section, in the case of sausage of the smaller varieties, the markings prescribed in this section may be limited to links bearing the official inspection legend, and such markings shall not be required if the sausages are packed in properly labeled containers having a capacity of 3 pounds or less and of a kind usually sold at retail intact. Further, all markings otherwise required by this section (except those required by paragraph (a) of this section) may be omitted from the casings of sausage and other meat food products when these products are to be processed in sealed metal containers properly labeled in accordance with the requirements in part 317 of this subchapter. (f) When an approved antioxidant is added to any meat food product as permitted in parts 318 and 319 of this subchapter, the products shall be legibly and conspicuously marked in an approved manner identifying the specific antioxidant used by its common name or approved abbreviation and the purpose for which it is added, such as, “BHA, BHT, and Propylgallate added to help protect flavor.” (g) Sausage of the dry varieties treated with potassium sorbate or propylparaben (propyl p-hydroxybenzoate) as permitted by part 318 of this subchapter shall be marked as prescribed in § 317.8(b)(28) of this subchapter).

9 C.F.R. § 316.12 Marking of equine carcasses and parts thereof.

(a) All inspected and passed equine carcasses and parts thereof prepared at any establishment shall be conspicuously marked at the time of inspection with the official inspection legend as prescribed in § 312.3 of this subchapter and with other information prescribed for marking products in this part. (b) All equine carcasses and meat and other parts thereof shall be marked to show the kinds of animals from which they were derived, before the products are sold, transported, offered for sale or transportation, or received for transportation in commerce.

9 C.F.R. § 316.13 Marking of outside containers.

(a) Except as otherwise provided in part 325 of this subchapter, when any inspected and passed product for domestic commerce is moved from an official establishment, the outside container shall bear an official inspection legend as prescribed in part 312 of this subchapter. (b) When any product prepared in an official establishment for domestic commerce has been inspected and passed and is enclosed in a cloth or other wrapping, such wrapping shall bear the official inspection legend and official establishment number applied by the approved 2 1/2-inch rubber brand in the form prescribed in part 312 of this subchapter: Provided, That the rubber brand may be omitted if the official inspection legend and official establishment number on the product itself are clearly legible through the wrapping or the wrapping is labeled in accordance with part 317 of this subchapter: Provided further, That plain unprinted wrappings, such as stockinettes, cheesecloth, paper, and crinkled paper bags, for properly marked products, which are used solely to protect the product against soiling or excessive drying during transportation or storage, need not bear the official inspection legend. (c) The outside containers of products for export shall be marked in compliance with part 322 of this subchapter as well as this part. (d) Slack barrels used as outside containers of products shall have a cloth or paper top covering bearing the official inspection legend containing the official establishment number. At the time of removal of the covering, the official inspection legend shall be destroyed. (e) The outside containers of any product which has been inspected and passed for cooking, pork which has been refrigerated as provided in § 318.10(c) of this subchapter, and beef which has been inspected and passed for refrigeration shall bear the markings and tag prescribed in § 325.7(b) of this subchapter. (f) The outside containers of glands and organs which are not used for human food purposes, such as those described in § 325.19 of this subchapter, shall be plainly marked with the phrase “For pharmaceutical purposes,” “For organotherapeutic purposes” or “For technical purposes,” as appropriate, with no reference to inspection, and need not bear other markings otherwise required under the regulations in this subchapter. (g) Stencils, box dies, labels, and brands may be used on shipping containers of properly labeled products and on such immediate containers, of properly marked products, as tierces, barrels, drums, boxes, crates, and large-size fiber-board containers, without approval as provided for in § 317.3 of this subchapter: Provided, That the stencils, box dies, labels, and brands are not false or misleading and are approved by the inspector in charge. The official inspection legend for use with such markings shall be approved by the Administrator as provided for in part 317 of this subchapter. (h) The outside containers of livers prepared as described in § 314.10(b), shall be marked as prescribed in § 314.10(c) of this subchapter. (i) The outside containers of any equine product shall be marked to show the kinds of animals from which derived, when the products are sold, transported, offered for sale or transported, or received for transportation in commerce.

9 C.F.R. § 316.14 Marking tank cars and tank trucks used in transportation of edible products.

Each tank car and each tank truck carrying inspected and passed product from an official establishment shall bear a label containing the name of the product in accordance with § 317.2 of this subchapter, the official inspection legend containing the number of the official establishment and the words “date of loading,” followed by a suitable space in which the date the tank car or tank truck is loaded shall be inserted. The label shall be located conspicuously and shall be printed on material of such character and so affixed as to preclude detachment or effacement upon exposure to the weather. Before the car or truck is removed from the place where it is unloaded, the carrier shall remove or obliterate such label.

9 C.F.R. § 316.15 Marking outside containers of inedible grease, etc.

(a) Outside containers of inedible grease, inedible tallow, or other inedible animal fat, or mixture of any such articles, resulting from operations at any official establishment shall be marked conspicuously with the word “inedible” prior to removal from the point of filling. Containers, such as tierces, barrels, and half barrels shall have both ends painted white with durable paint, if necessary, to provide a contrasting background, and the word “inedible” shall be marked thereon in letters not less than 2 inches high, while on tank cars and tank trucks the letters shall be not less than 4 inches high. (b) Inspected rendered animal fat which is intended not to be used for human food may also be marked “inedible” if handled as provided in paragraph (a) of this section and part 314 of this subchapter.

9 C.F.R. § 316.16 Custom prepared products to be marked “Not for Sale.”

Carcasses and parts therefrom that are prepared on a custom basis under § 303.1(a)(2) of this subchapter shall be marked at the time of preparation with the term “Not for Sale” in letters at least three-eighths inch in height, except that such products need not be so marked if in immediate containers properly labeled in accordance with the regulations in § 317.16 of this subchapter. Ink used for marking such products must comply with the requirements of § 316.5.

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