Iowa Code § 189A.2 — IA Code / Title V / Chapter 189A / Section 189A.2
Definitions.
Status: in_force

As used in this chapter except as otherwise specified:

(1) “Adulterated” shall apply to any livestock product or poultry product under any one or more of the following circumstances:

(1) (a) If it bears or contains any poisonous or deleterious substance which may render it injurious to health; but in case the substance is not an added substance such article shall not be considered adulterated under this clause if the quantity of such substance in or on such article does not ordinarily render it injurious to health.

(1) (b) If it bears or contains, by reason of administration of any substance to the livestock or poultry or otherwise, any added poisonous or deleterious substance, other than one which is a pesticide chemical in or on a raw agricultural commodity; a food additive; or a color additive, which may, in the judgment of the secretary, make such article unfit for human food.

(1) (b) If it is, in whole or in part, a raw agricultural commodity and such commodity bears or contains a pesticide chemical which is unsafe within the meaning of section 408 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

(1) (b) If it bears or contains any food additive which is unsafe within the meaning of section 409 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

(1) (b) If it bears or contains any color additive which is unsafe within the meaning of section 706 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; however, an article which is not otherwise deemed adulterated under subparagraph (2), (3), or (4) of this paragraph shall nevertheless be deemed adulterated if use of the pesticide chemical, food additive, or color additive in or on such article is prohibited by regulations of the secretary in official establishments.

(1) (c) If it consists in whole or in part of any filthy, putrid, or decomposed substance or is for any other reason unsound, unhealthful, unwholesome, or otherwise unfit for human food.

(1) (d) If it has been prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby it may have become contaminated with filth, or whereby it may have been rendered injurious to health.

(1) (e) If it is, in whole or in part, the product of an animal, including poultry, which has died otherwise than by slaughter.

(1) (f) If its container is composed, in whole or in part, of any poisonous or deleterious substance which may render the contents injurious to health.

(1) (g) If it has been intentionally subjected to radiation, unless the use of the radiation was in conformity with a regulation or exemption in effect pursuant to section 409 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

(1) (h) If any valuable constituent has been in whole or in part omitted or abstracted therefrom; or if any substance has been substituted, wholly or in part therefor; or if damage or inferiority has been concealed in any manner; or if any substance has been added thereto or mixed or packed therewith so as to increase its bulk or weight, or reduce its quality or strength, or make it appear better or of greater value than it is.

(1) (i) If it is margarine containing animal fat and any of the raw material used therein consisted in whole or in part of any filthy, putrid, or decomposed substance.

(2) “Animal food manufacturer” means any person engaged in the business of preparing animal food, including poultry, derived wholly or in part from livestock or poultry carcasses or parts or products of such carcasses.

(3) “Broker” means any person engaged in the business of buying or selling livestock products or poultry products on commission, or otherwise negotiating purchases or sales of such articles other than for the person’s own account or as an employee of another person.

(4) “Capable of use as human food” 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 secretary to deter its use as human food, or it is naturally inedible by humans.

(5) “Container” or “package” means any box, can, tin, cloth, plastic or other receptacle, wrapper, or cover.

(6) “Department” means the department of agriculture and land stewardship.

(7) “Establishment” means all premises where animals or poultry are slaughtered or otherwise prepared, either for custom, resale, or retail, for food purposes, meat or poultry canneries, sausage factories, smoking or curing operations, restaurants, grocery stores, brokerages, cold storage plants, and similar places.

(8) “Farm deer” means the same as defined in section 170.1.

(9) “Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act” means the Act so entitled, approved June 25, 1938, 52 Stat. 1040, and Acts amendatory thereof or supplementary thereto.

(10) “Federal Meat Inspection Act” means the Act so entitled, approved March 4, 1907, 34 Stat. 1260, as amended by the Wholesome Meat Act, 81 Stat. 584; “Federal Poultry Products Inspection Act” means the Act so entitled, approved August 28, 1957, 71 Stat. 441, as amended by the Wholesome Poultry Products Act, 82 Stat. 791; and “federal Acts” means these two federal laws.

(11) “Immediate container” means any consumer package; or any other container in which livestock products or poultry products, not consumer packaged, are packed.

(12) “Inspector” means an employee or official of the department authorized by the secretary or any employee or official of the government of any county or other governmental subdivision of this state, authorized by the secretary to perform any inspection functions under this chapter under an agreement between the secretary and such governmental subdivision.

(13) “Intrastate commerce” means commerce within this state.

(14) “Label” means a display of written, printed, or graphic matter upon any article or the immediate container, not including package liners, of any article.

(15) “Labeling” means all labels and other written, printed, or graphic matter either upon any article or any of its containers or wrappers, or accompanying such article.

(16) “Livestock” means a live or dead animal which is limited to cattle, sheep, swine, goats, farm deer, or which is classified as an equine including a horse or mule.

(17) “Livestock product” means any carcass, part thereof, meat, or meat food product of any livestock.

(18) “Meat food product” means any product capable of use as human food which is made wholly or in part from any meat or other portion of the carcass of any cattle, sheep, swine, or goats, excepting products which 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 which are exempted from definition as a meat food product by the secretary under such conditions as the secretary 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 meat food products. This term as applied to food products of equines or farm deer shall have a meaning comparable to that provided in this paragraph with respect to cattle, sheep, swine, and goats.

(19) “Misbranded” shall apply to any livestock product or poultry product under any one or more of the following circumstances:

(19) (a) If its labeling is false or misleading in any particular.

(19) (b) If it is offered for sale under the name of another food.

(19) (c) If it is an imitation of another food, unless its label bears, in type of uniform size and prominence, the word “imitation”, and immediately thereafter the name of the food imitated.

(19) (d) If its container is so made, formed, or filled as to be misleading.

(19) (e) Unless it bears a label showing both:

(19) (e) The name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor.

(19) (e) An accurate statement of the quantity of the product in terms of weight, measure, or numerical count; however, under this paragraph, exemptions as to livestock products not in containers may be established by regulations prescribed by the secretary, and under this subparagraph reasonable variations may be permitted, and exemptions as to small packages may be established for livestock products or poultry products by regulations prescribed by the secretary.

(19) (f) If any word, statement, or other information required by or under authority of this chapter to appear on the label or other labeling is not prominently placed thereon with such conspicuousness, as compared with other words, statements, designs, or devices in the labeling, and in such terms as to render it likely to be read and understood by the ordinary individual under customary conditions of purchase and use.

(19) (g) If it purports to be or is represented as a food for which a definition and standard of identity or composition has been prescribed by the regulations of the secretary under section 189A.7, unless it conforms to such definition and standard and its label bears the name of the food specified in the definition and standard and, insofar as may be required by such regulations, the common names of optional ingredients, other than spices, flavoring, and coloring, present in such food.

(19) (h) If it purports to be or is represented as a food for which a standard or standards of fill of container have been prescribed by regulations of the secretary under section 189A.7, and it falls below the standard of fill of container applicable thereto, unless its label bears, in such manner and form as such regulations specify, a statement that it falls below such standard.

(19) (i) If it is not subject to the provisions of paragraph “g” of this subsection, unless its label bears both:

(19) (i) The common or usual name of the food, if any.

(19) (i) In case it is fabricated from two or more ingredients, the common or usual name of each such ingredient; except that spices, flavorings, and colorings may, when authorized by the secretary, be designated as spices, flavorings, and colorings without naming each; however, to the extent that compliance with the requirements of this subparagraph is impracticable, or results in deception or unfair competition, exemptions shall be established by regulations promulgated by the secretary.

(19) (j) If it purports to be or is represented for special dietary uses, unless its label bears such information concerning its vitamin, mineral, and other dietary properties as the secretary, after consultation with the secretary of agriculture of the United States, determines to be and by regulations prescribes as necessary in order to fully inform purchasers as to its value for such uses.

(19) (k) If it bears or contains any artificial flavoring, artificial coloring, or chemical preservative, unless it bears labeling stating that fact; however, to the extent that compliance with the requirements of this paragraph is impracticable, exemptions shall be established by regulations promulgated by the secretary.

(19) (l) If it fails to bear, directly thereon and on its containers, as the secretary may by regulations prescribe, the official inspection legend and establishment number of the establishment where the product was prepared and, unrestricted by any of the foregoing, such other information as the secretary may require in such regulations to assure that it will not have false or misleading labeling and that the public will be informed of the manner of handling required to maintain the article in a wholesome condition.

(20) “Official certificate” means any certificate prescribed by regulations of the secretary for issuance by an inspector or other person performing official functions under this chapter.

(21) “Official device” means any device prescribed or authorized by the secretary for use in applying any official mark.

(22) “Official establishment” means any establishment as determined by the secretary at which inspection of the slaughter of livestock or poultry or the preparation of livestock products or poultry products is maintained under the authority of this chapter.

(23) “Official inspection legend” means any symbol prescribed by regulations of the secretary showing that an article was inspected and passed in accordance with this chapter.

(24) “Official mark” means the official inspection legend or any other symbol prescribed by regulations of the secretary to identify the status of any article or livestock or poultry under this chapter.

(25) “Person” includes any individual, partnership, corporation, association, or other business unit, and any officer, agent, or employee thereof.

(26) “Pesticide chemical”, “food additive”, “color additive”, and “raw agricultural commodity” shall have the same meanings for purposes of this chapter as under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

(27) “Poultry” means any domesticated bird, whether live or dead.

(28) “Poultry product” means any poultry carcass or part thereof, or any product which is made wholly or in part from any poultry carcass or part thereof, excepting products which 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 which are exempted by the secretary from definition as a poultry product under such conditions as the secretary may prescribe to assure that the poultry ingredients in such products are not adulterated and that such products are not represented as poultry products.

(29) “Prepared” means slaughtered, canned, salted, stuffed, rendered, boned, cut up, or otherwise manufactured or processed.

(30) “Reinspection” includes inspection of the preparation of livestock products and poultry products, as well as re-examination of articles previously inspected.

(31) “Renderer” means any person engaged in the business of rendering livestock or poultry carcasses, or parts or products of such carcasses, except rendering conducted under inspection or exemption under this chapter.

(32) “Secretary” means the secretary of agriculture.

(33) “Shipping container” means any container used or intended for use in packaging the product packed in an immediate container.

(34) “Veterinary inspector” means a graduate veterinarian with appropriate training to perform the inspection functions under the provisions of this chapter.

[C66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §189A.2]86 Acts, ch 1245, §637; 95 Acts, ch 134, §1 – 3; 2003 Acts, ch 149, §12, 23; 2014 Acts, ch 1026, §39; 2025 Acts, ch 30, §105; 2025 Acts, ch 134, §40