reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 1 - GENERAL PROVISIONS (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-64) › Section 26-2-63 - Federal and state cooperation

(a)
The Georgia Department of Agriculture, acting by and through the Commissioner, is designated as the state agency which shall be responsible for cooperating with the secretary of agriculture of the United States under the provisions of the Federal Meat Inspection Act and other related federal acts; and said department is directed to cooperate with the secretary of agriculture of the United States in developing and administering the meat inspection program of this state under this article to assure that its requirements will be at least equal to those imposed under Titles I and IV of the Federal Meat Inspection Act and in developing and administering the program of this state under Part 4 of this article in such a manner as will effectuate the purposes of this article and applicable federal acts.
(b)
In such cooperative efforts, the Commissioner is authorized to accept from the secretary advisory assistance in planning and otherwise developing the state program; technical and laboratory assistance and training, including necessary curricular and instructional materials and equipment; and financial and other aid for administration of such a program. The Commissioner is further authorized to spend public funds of this state appropriated for administration of this article in furtherance of the cooperative program.
(c)
The Commissioner is authorized to recommend to the secretary of agriculture such officials or employees of this state as the Commissioner shall designate for appointment to the advisory committees provided for in the Federal Meat Inspection Act; and the Commissioner shall serve as the representative of the Governor for consultation with the secretary under such act.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 1 - GENERAL PROVISIONS (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-64) › Section 26-2-64 - Concurrent enforcement jurisdiction

Consistent with the Federal Meat Inspection Act,
21 U.S.C. Section 601
, et seq., the Commissioner may exercise concurrent jurisdiction with the secretary of agriculture of the United States and may enforce this article and any regulations promulgated pursuant thereto without regard to licensing agency.
Amended by 2016 Ga. Laws 451,§ 2, eff. 7/1/2016.
Amended by 2007 Ga. Laws 336,§ 1, eff. 5/29/2007.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 2 - ENFORCEMENT OF ARTICLE (§§ 26-2-80 — 26-2-88) › Section 26-2-80 - Promulgation of regulations

The Commissioner is authorized to promulgate, from time to time, such regulations as are necessary to effectuate the purpose of this article.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 2 - ENFORCEMENT OF ARTICLE (§§ 26-2-80 — 26-2-88) › Section 26-2-82 - Administrative penalties; judicial review

The Commissioner, in order to enforce this article or any orders, rules, and regulations promulgated pursuant thereto, may issue an administrative order imposing a penalty not to exceed $1,000.00 for each violation whenever the Commissioner, after a hearing, determines that any person has violated this article or any regulations or orders promulgated under this article. The hearing and any administrative review thereof shall be conducted in accordance with the procedure for contested cases under Chapter 13 of Title 50, the "Georgia Administrative Procedure Act." Any person who has exhausted all administrative remedies available and who is aggrieved or adversely affected by any final order or action of the Commissioner shall have the right of judicial review thereof in accordance with Chapter 13 of Title 50, the "Georgia Administrative Procedure Act." All penalties recovered as provided for in this article shall be paid into the state treasury. The Commissioner may file in the superior court of the county where the person under order resides or, if said person is a corporation, in the county wherein the corporation maintains its principal place of business or in the county wherein the violation occurred a certified copy of a final order of the Commissioner unappealed from, or of a final order of the Commissioner affirmed upon appeal, whereupon said court shall render judgment in accordance therewith and notify the parties. Such judgment shall have the same effect, and all proceedings in relation thereto shall thereafter be the same, as though said judgment has been rendered in an action duly heard and determined by said court. The penalty prescribed in this Code section shall be concurrent, alternative, and cumulative with any and all other civil, criminal, or alternative rights, remedies, forfeitures, or penalties provided, allowed, or available to the Commissioner with respect to any violation of this article and any orders, rules, or regulations promulgated pursuant thereto.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 2 - ENFORCEMENT OF ARTICLE (§§ 26-2-80 — 26-2-88) › Section 26-2-83 - Authority to refuse or withdraw meat inspection service

(a)
The Commissioner is authorized to refuse to provide or to withdraw inspection service under Part 3 of this article and to revoke or suspend any license issued by the Department of Agriculture to any person, firm, or corporation subject to this article who shall violate any of the laws of this state pertaining to the department or any of the rules and regulations of the department promulgated pursuant to such laws, or who is unfit to engage in any business requiring inspection under Part 3 of this article because the applicant or recipient has been convicted in any federal or state court of:
(1)
Any felony; or
(2)
More than one violation of any law, other than a felony, based upon the acquiring, handling, or distributing of unwholesome, mislabeled, or deceptively packaged food or upon fraud in connection with transactions in food.
(b)
This Code section shall not affect in any way other provisions of this article for withdrawal of inspection services under Part 3 of this article from establishments failing to maintain sanitary conditions or to destroy condemned carcasses, parts, meat, or meat food products.
(c)
For the purpose of this Code section, a person shall be deemed to be responsibly connected with the business if he was a partner, officer, director, holder, or owner of 10 percent or more of its voting stock or an employee in a managerial or executive capacity.
Amended by 2023 Ga. Laws 353,§ 4, eff. 7/1/2023.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 2 - ENFORCEMENT OF ARTICLE (§§ 26-2-80 — 26-2-88) › Section 26-2-84 - Detention of carcasses, meat, and meat food products suspected of being adulterated or misbranded; removal of official marks

Whenever any carcass, part of a carcass, meat, or meat food product of cattle, sheep, swine, nontraditional livestock, rabbits, goats, horses, mules, or other equines, or any product exempted from the definition of a meat food product, or any dead, dying, disabled, or diseased cattle, sheep, swine, nontraditional livestock, rabbit, goat, or equine is found by any authorized representative of the Commissioner upon any premises where it is held for purposes of, or during or after, distribution and there is reason to believe that any such article is adulterated or misbranded and is capable of use as human food, or that it has not been inspected, in violation of Part 3 of this article or Title I of the Federal Meat Inspection Act or the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or that such article or animal has been or is intended to be distributed in violation of any such provisions, it may be detained by such representative for a period not to exceed 20 days, pending action under Code Section
26-2-86
or notification of any federal authorities having jurisdiction over such article or animal; and it shall not be moved by any person, firm, or corporation from the place at which it is located when so detained, until released by such representative. All official marks may be required by such representative to be removed from such article or animal before it is released unless it appears to the satisfaction of the Commissioner that the article or animal is eligible to retain such marks.
Amended by 2008 Ga. Laws 534,§ 9, eff. 5/12/2008.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 2 - ENFORCEMENT OF ARTICLE (§§ 26-2-80 — 26-2-88) › Section 26-2-85 - Seizure and condemnation of carcasses, meat, and meat food products

(a)
Any carcass, part of a carcass, meat, or meat food product of cattle, sheep, swine, nontraditional livestock, rabbits, goats, horses, mules, or other equines, or any dead, dying, disabled, or diseased cattle, sheep, swine, nontraditional livestock, rabbit, goat, or equine, that is being transported or is held for sale in this state after such transportation, and that is or has been prepared, sold, transported, or otherwise distributed or offered or received for distribution in violation of this article, is capable of use as human food and is adulterated or misbranded, or in any other way is in violation of this article, shall be liable to be proceeded against and seized and condemned, at any time, on an action for condemnation to be brought by the Commissioner in the superior court of the county in which the article or animal is found.
(b)
If the article or animal is condemned, it shall, after entry of the decree, be disposed of by destruction or sale as the court may direct. The proceeds, if sold, less the court costs and fees and storage and other proper expenses, shall be paid into the state treasury. The article or animals shall not be sold contrary to the provisions of this article or the Federal Meat Inspection Act or the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
(c)
Upon the execution and delivery of a good and sufficient bond conditioned that the article or animal shall not be sold or otherwise disposed of contrary to this article or the laws of the United States, the court may direct that such article or animal be delivered to the owner thereof subject to such supervision by authorized representatives of the Commissioner as is necessary to ensure compliance with the applicable laws.
(d)
When a decree of condemnation is entered against the article or animal and it is released under bond or destroyed, court costs and fees and storage and other proper expenses shall be awarded against the person, if any, intervening as claimant of the article or animal.
(e)
This Code section shall in no way derogate from authority for condemnation or seizure conferred by other provisions of this article or other laws but shall be cumulative to such other authority.
Amended by 2008 Ga. Laws 534,§ 10, eff. 5/12/2008.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 2 - ENFORCEMENT OF ARTICLE (§§ 26-2-80 — 26-2-88) › Section 26-2-86 - Injunctions

In addition to other remedies provided for in this article, the Commissioner is authorized to apply to the superior court of the appropriate county for an injunction. Such court shall have jurisdiction, upon hearing and for cause shown, to grant a temporary or permanent injunction restraining any person from violating any provision of this article, notwithstanding whether or not there exists an adequate remedy at law or the fact that the conduct sought to be enjoined is in violation of the criminal provisions of this article.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 2 - ENFORCEMENT OF ARTICLE (§§ 26-2-80 — 26-2-88) › Section 26-2-87 - Written notice or warning sufficient for minor violations

Nothing in this article shall be construed as requiring the Commissioner to report, for prosecution or for the institution of an action or injunction proceedings, minor violations of this article, whenever he believes that the public interest will be adequately served by a suitable written notice or warning.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 2 - ENFORCEMENT OF ARTICLE (§§ 26-2-80 — 26-2-88) › Section 26-2-88 - Penalties for fraud or distribution of adulterated articles; penalties for slaughter or distribution of diseased or cancerous animals

(a)
Any person, firm, or corporation who violates this article with intent to defraud or who distributes or attempts to distribute an article that is adulterated, except as defined in subparagraph (H) of paragraph (1) of Code Section
26-2-62
, shall be subject to imprisonment for not more than three years or a fine of not more than $10,000.00, or both, provided that no person, firm, or corporation shall be subject to penalties under this subsection for receiving for transportation any article or animal in violation of this article if such receipt was made in good faith, unless such person, firm, or corporation refuses to furnish, on request of a representative of the Commissioner, the name and address of the person from whom he received such article or animal and copies of all documents, if there are any, pertaining to the delivery of the article or animal to him.
(b)
Any person who unlawfully slaughters any diseased or cancerous animal for purposes of selling any part of the carcass for human consumption or who knowingly distributes or attempts to distribute any part of such a carcass for human consumption shall be guilty of a felony and punished by imprisonment for not less than three years or more than ten years or by a fine of not less than $10,000.00 or more than $50,000.00, or both.
(c)
Any person who violates any of the provisions of this article for which a penalty is not otherwise prescribed in this article or who violates any rule or regulation promulgated under this article shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 3 - INSPECTION OF ANIMALS, CARCASSES, MEAT, AND MEAT FOOD PRODUCTS; ADULTERATION AND MISBRANDING (§§ 26-2-100 — 26-2-116) › Section 26-2-100 - Duties of inspectors

The Commissioner shall appoint, from time to time, inspectors to make examination and inspection of all cattle, sheep, swine, nontraditional livestock, rabbits, goats, horses, mules, and other equines, the inspection of which is provided for, and of all carcasses and parts thereof, and of all meats and meat food products thereof, and of the sanitary conditions of all establishments in which such meat and meat food products are prepared. Said inspectors shall refuse to stamp, mark, tag, or label any carcass or any part thereof, or meat food product therefrom, prepared in any establishment described in this chapter until the same shall have actually been inspected and found to be not adulterated. Said inspectors shall perform such other duties as are provided by this article and by the rules and regulations to be promulgated by the Commissioner.
Amended by 2008 Ga. Laws 534,§ 11, eff. 5/12/2008.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 3 - INSPECTION OF ANIMALS, CARCASSES, MEAT, AND MEAT FOOD PRODUCTS; ADULTERATION AND MISBRANDING (§§ 26-2-100 — 26-2-116) › Section 26-2-100.1 - Examinations and inspections of nontraditional livestock carcasses, meats, and meat food products

All examinations and inspections of nontraditional livestock carcasses and parts thereof, of nontraditional livestock meats and meat food products thereof, of sanitary conditions of all establishments in which nontraditional livestock meat and meat food products are prepared, and any other examination or inspection of nontraditional livestock and products thereof under or pursuant to this article shall be conducted by and through a voluntary inspection program with all costs thereof paid by the establishment slaughtering the nontraditional livestock or preparing such meat or meat food product, at rates established by the Commissioner.
Amended by 2008 Ga. Laws 534,§ 12, eff. 5/12/2008.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 3 - INSPECTION OF ANIMALS, CARCASSES, MEAT, AND MEAT FOOD PRODUCTS; ADULTERATION AND MISBRANDING (§§ 26-2-100 — 26-2-116) › Section 26-2-101 - Inspections and examinations generally

All inspections and examinations made under this article shall be such and made in such manner as described in the rules and regulations promulgated by the Commissioner, if not inconsistent with this article. This article may be administered in conjunction with the administration of Article 2 of this chapter.
Amended by 2003 Ga. Laws 9, § 26, eff. 5/14/2003.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 3 - INSPECTION OF ANIMALS, CARCASSES, MEAT, AND MEAT FOOD PRODUCTS; ADULTERATION AND MISBRANDING (§§ 26-2-100 — 26-2-116) › Section 26-2-102 - Inspection of animals prior to slaughter or preparation; slaughtering and examination of diseased animals; refusal or suspension of inspections

(a)
For the purpose of preventing the use in commerce of meat food products which are adulterated, the Commissioner shall cause to be made, by inspectors appointed for that purpose, an examination and inspection of all cattle, sheep, swine, nontraditional livestock, rabbits, goats, horses, mules, and other equines before they shall be allowed to enter into any slaughtering, packing, meat-canning, rendering, or similar establishment in this state in which slaughtering and preparation of meat and meat food products of such animals are conducted for commerce.
(b)
All cattle, sheep, swine, nontraditional livestock, rabbits, goats, horses, mules, and other equines found on such inspection to show symptoms of disease shall be set apart and slaughtered separately from all other cattle, sheep, swine, nontraditional livestock, rabbits, goats, horses, mules, or other equines; and, when so slaughtered, the carcasses of said cattle, sheep, swine, nontraditional livestock, rabbits, goats, horses, mules, or other equines shall be subject to a careful examination and inspection, all as provided by the rules and regulations promulgated by the Commissioner.
(c)
For the purpose of preventing the inhumane slaughtering of livestock, the Commissioner shall cause to be made, by inspectors appointed for that purpose, an examination and inspection of the method by which cattle, sheep, swine, nontraditional livestock, rabbits, goats, horses, mules, and other equines are slaughtered and handled in connection with slaughter in the slaughtering establishments inspected under this article. The Commissioner may refuse to provide inspection to a new slaughtering establishment or may cause inspection to be suspended temporarily at a slaughtering establishment if the Commissioner finds that any cattle, sheep, swine, nontraditional livestock, rabbits, goats, horses, mules, or other equines have been slaughtered or handled in connection with slaughter at such establishment by any method not in accordance with paragraph (2) of Code Section
26-2-110
and Code Section
26-2-110.1
until the establishment furnishes assurances satisfactory to the Commissioner that all slaughtering and handling in connection with slaughter of livestock shall be in accordance with such a method.
Amended by 2008 Ga. Laws 534,§ 13, eff. 5/12/2008.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 3 - INSPECTION OF ANIMALS, CARCASSES, MEAT, AND MEAT FOOD PRODUCTS; ADULTERATION AND MISBRANDING (§§ 26-2-100 — 26-2-116) › Section 26-2-103 - Post-mortem inspection and marking of carcasses and parts; disposition of condemned carcasses and parts; reinspection; removal of inspectors

(a)
The Commissioner shall cause to be made, by inspectors appointed for that purpose, a post-mortem examination and inspection of the carcasses and parts thereof of all cattle, sheep, swine, nontraditional livestock, rabbits, goats, horses, mules, and other equines, capable of use as human food, to be prepared at any slaughtering, meat-canning, salting, packing, rendering, or similar establishment in this state in which such articles are prepared for commerce.
(b)
The carcasses and parts thereof of all such animals found to be not adulterated shall be marked, stamped, tagged, or labeled as "Inspected and Passed"; and said inspectors shall label, mark, stamp, or tag as "Inspected and Condemned," all carcasses and parts thereof of animals found to be adulterated; and all carcasses and parts thereof thus inspected and condemned shall be made unfit for human consumption by such establishment in the presence of an inspector; and the Commissioner may remove inspectors from any establishment which fails so to destroy any such condemned carcass or part thereof.
(c)
Inspectors, after the first inspection, shall, when they deem it necessary, reinspect said carcasses or parts thereof to determine whether since the first inspection the same have become adulterated. If any carcass or any part thereof shall, upon examination and inspection subsequent to the first examination and inspection, be found to be adulterated, it shall be made unfit for human consumption by such establishment in the presence of an inspector. The Commissioner may remove inspectors from any establishment which fails to destroy any such condemned carcass or part thereof.
Amended by 2008 Ga. Laws 534,§ 14, eff. 5/12/2008.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 3 - INSPECTION OF ANIMALS, CARCASSES, MEAT, AND MEAT FOOD PRODUCTS; ADULTERATION AND MISBRANDING (§§ 26-2-100 — 26-2-116) › Section 26-2-104 - Inspection of carcasses, parts, meat, and meat products brought into or returned to slaughtering or packing establishments; limitations on entry of carcasses, parts, meat, and meat products

(a)
Code Sections
26-2-102
and
26-2-103
shall apply to all carcasses or parts of carcasses of cattle, sheep, swine, nontraditional livestock, rabbits, goats, horses, mules, and other equines, or the meat or meat products thereof, capable of use as human food, which may be brought into any slaughtering, meat-canning, salting, packing, rendering, or similar establishment where inspection under this part is maintained; and such examination and inspection shall be had before the carcasses or parts thereof shall be allowed to enter into any department wherein the same are to be treated and prepared for meat food products.
(b)
Code Sections
26-2-102
and
26-2-103
shall also apply to all such products which, after having been issued from any such slaughtering, meat-canning, salting, packing, rendering, or similar establishment, shall be returned to the same or to any similar establishment where such inspection is maintained.
(c)
The Commissioner may limit the entry of carcasses, parts of carcasses, meat, and meat food products, and other materials into any establishment at which inspection under this part is maintained, under such conditions as he may prescribe, to assure that allowing the entry of such articles into such inspected establishments will be consistent with the purposes of this article.
Amended by 2008 Ga. Laws 534,§ 15, eff. 5/12/2008.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 3 - INSPECTION OF ANIMALS, CARCASSES, MEAT, AND MEAT FOOD PRODUCTS; ADULTERATION AND MISBRANDING (§§ 26-2-100 — 26-2-116) › Section 26-2-105 - Inspection of meat food products where prepared; inspection markings; disposition of condemned meat food products; removal of inspectors

(a)
The Commissioner shall cause to be made, by inspectors appointed for that purpose, an examination and inspection of all meat food products prepared in any slaughtering, meat-canning, salting, packing, rendering, or similar establishment where such articles are prepared for commerce.
(b)
For the purpose of any examination and inspection, said inspectors shall have access at all times, by day or night, whether the establishment be operated or not, to every part of said establishment.
(c)
The 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 made unfit for human consumption, as provided for in Code Section
26-2-103
. The Commissioner may remove inspectors from any establishment which fails to destroy such condemned meat food products.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 3 - INSPECTION OF ANIMALS, CARCASSES, MEAT, AND MEAT FOOD PRODUCTS; ADULTERATION AND MISBRANDING (§§ 26-2-100 — 26-2-116) › Section 26-2-106 - Inspection of meat and meat food products in retail and other food service establishments; disposition of condemned meat; sale or display of noninspected meat or meat food products

(a)
The Commissioner shall periodically require meat inspectors to inspect meat and meat products located within or held for sale or consumption in retail establishments and other food service establishments for the purpose of ascertaining whether the same has been inspected by a federal or state meat inspector. Any meat or meat product which does not appear to have been inspected previously by a federal or state meat inspector shall be labeled as unfit for sale and shall not be sold. Any meat found to be adulterated shall be made unfit for human consumption, as provided for in Code Section
26-2-103
. For the purpose of any examination and inspection said inspectors shall have access to every part of said establishment during normal hours of operation or at such other times when meat processing operations are being conducted. Said inspectors shall be accompanied by the owner or his authorized agent.
(b)
It shall be unlawful for any retail establishment and other food service establishments to sell or display for sale any meat or meat food products which shall have been found by said inspectors to be adulterated or which have not been inspected by a federal or state meat inspector.
Amended by 2016 Ga. Laws 451,§ 3, eff. 7/1/2016.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 3 - INSPECTION OF ANIMALS, CARCASSES, MEAT, AND MEAT FOOD PRODUCTS; ADULTERATION AND MISBRANDING (§§ 26-2-100 — 26-2-116) › Section 26-2-108 - Sanitary inspections of slaughter and packing establishments; sanitation regulations; labeling adulterated meat and meat food products

The Commissioner shall cause to be made, by experts in sanitation or by other competent inspectors, such inspection as may be necessary to inform himself or herself about the sanitary conditions of all slaughtering, meat-canning, salting, packing, rendering, or similar establishments in which cattle, sheep, swine, nontraditional livestock, rabbits, goats, horses, mules, and other equines are slaughtered and the meat and meat food products thereof are prepared for commerce. The Commissioner shall prescribe the rules and regulations of sanitation under which such establishments shall be maintained; and, where the sanitary conditions of any such establishment are such that the meat or meat food products are rendered adulterated, the Commissioner shall refuse to allow the meat or meat food products to be labeled, marked, stamped, or tagged as "Inspected and Passed."
Amended by 2008 Ga. Laws 534,§ 16, eff. 5/12/2008.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 3 - INSPECTION OF ANIMALS, CARCASSES, MEAT, AND MEAT FOOD PRODUCTS; ADULTERATION AND MISBRANDING (§§ 26-2-100 — 26-2-116) › Section 26-2-109 - Timing of examination and inspection of slaughtered animals and food products

The Commissioner shall cause an examination and inspection of all cattle, sheep, swine, nontraditional livestock, rabbits, goats, horses, mules, and other equines, and the food products thereof, slaughtered and prepared in the establishments described in this part. Such inspection shall be made during the nighttime as well as during the daytime, when the slaughtering of said cattle, sheep, swine, nontraditional livestock, rabbits, goats, horses, mules, and other equines or the preparation of said food products is conducted during the nighttime.
Amended by 2008 Ga. Laws 534,§ 17, eff. 5/12/2008.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 3 - INSPECTION OF ANIMALS, CARCASSES, MEAT, AND MEAT FOOD PRODUCTS; ADULTERATION AND MISBRANDING (§§ 26-2-100 — 26-2-116) › Section 26-2-110 - Slaughter, preparation, sale, or transportation of animals, meat, or meat food products generally

No person, firm, or corporation shall, with respect to any cattle, sheep, swine, nontraditional livestock, rabbits, goats, horses, mules, or other equines, or any carcasses, parts of carcasses, meat, or meat food products of any such animals:
(1)
Slaughter any such animals or prepare any such articles which are capable of use as human food, at any establishment preparing such articles for commerce except in compliance with this article;
(2)
Slaughter or handle in connection with such slaughter any such animals in any manner not declared to be humane under Code Section
26-2-110.1
;
(3)
Sell, transport, offer for sale or transportation, or receive for transportation, in commerce:
(A)
Any such articles which:
(i)
Are capable of use as human food; and
(ii)
Are adulterated or misbranded at the time of such sale, transportation, offer for sale or transportation, or receipt for transportation; or
(B)
Any articles required to be inspected under this part unless they have been so inspected and passed; or
(4)
With respect to any such articles which are capable of use as human food, do any act while they are being transported in commerce or held for sale after such transportation which is intended to cause or has the effect of causing such articles to be adulterated or misbranded.
Amended by 2008 Ga. Laws 534,§ 18, eff. 5/12/2008.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 3 - INSPECTION OF ANIMALS, CARCASSES, MEAT, AND MEAT FOOD PRODUCTS; ADULTERATION AND MISBRANDING (§§ 26-2-100 — 26-2-116) › Section 26-2-110.1 - Approved methods for handling and slaughtering of animals; designation by Commissioner of methods of handling and slaughtering

(a)
For purposes of this article, the following methods of slaughtering and handling are declared to be humane:
(1)
In the case of cattle, calves, horses, mules, sheep, swine, nontraditional livestock, rabbits, and other livestock, all animals are to be rendered insensible to pain by a single blow or gunshot or by an electrical, chemical, or other means which is rapid and effective before being shackled, hoisted, thrown, cast, or cut; or
(2)
By slaughtering and handling in connection with such slaughtering in accordance with the ritual requirements of the Jewish faith or any other religious faith that prescribes a method of slaughter whereby the animal suffers loss of consciousness by anemia of the brain caused by the simultaneous and instantaneous severance of the carotid arteries with a sharp instrument.
(b)
In addition to the methods prescribed in subsection (a) of this Code section, the Commissioner may designate as humane any methods of slaughtering and handling which have been so designated by the United States secretary of agriculture on or before April 7, 1981, pursuant to United States Code Section
7-1904
. The Commissioner is further authorized to designate as humane other methods of slaughtering and handling which have been demonstrated by research, investigation, and experimentation to be humane with reference to the speed and scope of slaughtering operations and with reference to other existing methods and then current scientific knowledge.
Amended by 2008 Ga. Laws 534,§ 19, eff. 5/12/2008.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 3 - INSPECTION OF ANIMALS, CARCASSES, MEAT, AND MEAT FOOD PRODUCTS; ADULTERATION AND MISBRANDING (§§ 26-2-100 — 26-2-116) › Section 26-2-111 - Labeling and preparation of carcasses, meat, and meat food products of equines

No person, firm, or corporation shall sell, transport, offer for sale or transportation, or receive for transportation, in commerce, any carcasses of horses, mules, or other equines, or parts of such carcasses, or the meat or meat food products thereof unless they are plainly and conspicuously marked or labeled or otherwise identified as required by regulations promulgated by the Commissioner to show the kinds of animals from which they were derived. When required by the Commissioner with respect to establishments at which inspection is maintained under this part, such animals and their carcasses, parts thereof, meat, and meat food products shall be prepared in establishments separate from those in which cattle, sheep, swine, rabbits, or goats are slaughtered or their carcasses, parts thereof, meats, or meat food products are prepared.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 3 - INSPECTION OF ANIMALS, CARCASSES, MEAT, AND MEAT FOOD PRODUCTS; ADULTERATION AND MISBRANDING (§§ 26-2-100 — 26-2-116) › Section 26-2-113 - Storage and handling regulations for carcasses, meat, and meat food products

The Commissioner may by regulations prescribe conditions under which carcasses, parts of carcasses, meat, and meat food products of cattle, sheep, swine, nontraditional livestock, rabbits, goats, horses, mules, or other equines, capable of use as human food, shall be stored or otherwise handled by any person, firm, or corporation engaged in the business of buying, selling, freezing, storing, or transporting such articles whenever the Commissioner deems such action necessary to assure that such articles will not be adulterated or misbranded when delivered to the consumer.
Amended by 2008 Ga. Laws 534,§ 21, eff. 5/12/2008.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 3 - INSPECTION OF ANIMALS, CARCASSES, MEAT, AND MEAT FOOD PRODUCTS; ADULTERATION AND MISBRANDING (§§ 26-2-100 — 26-2-116) › Section 26-2-114 - Fraudulent practices

(a)
No brand manufacturer, printer, or other person, firm, or corporation shall cast, print, lithograph, or otherwise make any device containing any official mark or simulation thereof, or any label bearing any such mark or simulation, or any form of official certificate or simulation thereof, except as authorized by the Commissioner.
(b)
No person, firm, or corporation shall:
(1)
Forge any official device, mark, or certificate;
(2)
Without authorization from the Commissioner, use any official device, mark, or certificate, or simulation thereof, or alter, detach, deface, or destroy any official device, mark, or certificate;
(3)
Contrary to the regulations promulgated by the Commissioner, fail to use or to detach, deface, or destroy any official device, mark, or certificate;
(4)
Knowingly possess, without promptly notifying the Commissioner or his representative, any official device, or any counterfeit, simulated, forged, or improperly altered official certificate, or any device or label, or any carcass of any animal, or part or product thereof, bearing any counterfeit, simulated, forged, or improperly altered official mark;
(5)
Knowingly make any false statement in any shipper's certificate or other nonofficial or official certificate provided for in the regulations prescribed by the Commissioner; or
(6)
Knowingly represent that any article has been inspected and passed or exempted under this article when, in fact, it has, respectively, not been so inspected and passed or exempted.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 3 - INSPECTION OF ANIMALS, CARCASSES, MEAT, AND MEAT FOOD PRODUCTS; ADULTERATION AND MISBRANDING (§§ 26-2-100 — 26-2-116) › Section 26-2-115 - Use of "Georgia" in trademark, trade name, service mark, or advertisement

(a)
It shall be unlawful for any person, partnership, firm, or corporation to use the word "Georgia" in any trademark, trade name, service mark, or advertisement in connection with any meat or meat food product which is not equal to or better than U.S. grade "good."
(b)
Any person who violates this Code section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 3 - INSPECTION OF ANIMALS, CARCASSES, MEAT, AND MEAT FOOD PRODUCTS; ADULTERATION AND MISBRANDING (§§ 26-2-100 — 26-2-116) › Section 26-2-116 - Applicability of part to federally inspected slaughtering and packing establishments

The ante mortem, post-mortem, and sanitary inspection services provided for in this part are not required at any slaughtering, meat-canning, salting, packing, rendering, or similar establishment at which such services are furnished by the United States Department of Agriculture pursuant to the Federal Meat Inspection Act.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 4 - MEAT PROCESSORS AND RELATED INDUSTRIES (§§ 26-2-130 — 26-2-133) › Section 26-2-130 - Buying, selling, transporting, or receiving of dead, dying, disabled, or diseased animals

No person, firm, or corporation engaged in the business of buying, selling, or transporting in commerce dead, dying, disabled, or diseased animals, or any parts of the carcasses of any such animals, shall buy, sell, transport, offer for sale or transportation, or receive for transportation any dead, dying, disabled, or diseased cattle, sheep, swine, nontraditional livestock, rabbits, goats, horses, mules, or other equines, or parts of the carcasses of any such animals, unless such transaction or transportation is made in accordance with such regulations as the Commissioner may promulgate, to assure that such animals, or the unwholesome parts or products thereof, will be prevented from being used for human food purposes.
Amended by 2008 Ga. Laws 534,§ 22, eff. 5/12/2008.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 4 - MEAT PROCESSORS AND RELATED INDUSTRIES (§§ 26-2-130 — 26-2-133) › Section 26-2-131 - Registration of dealers in dead, dying, diseased, or disabled animals

No person, firm, or corporation shall engage in business as a meat broker, renderer, or animal food manufacturer or engage in business as a wholesaler of any carcasses, or parts or products of the carcasses, of any cattle, sheep, swine, nontraditional livestock, rabbits, goats, horses, mules, or other equines, whether intended for human food or other purposes, or engage in business as a public warehouseman storing any such articles, or engage in the business of buying, selling, or transporting in commerce any dead, dying, disabled, or diseased animals of the specified kinds, or parts of such carcasses of any such animals unless, when required by regulations of the Commissioner, he or she has registered with the Commissioner his or her name and the address of each place of business at which, and all trade names under which, he or she conducts such business.
Amended by 2008 Ga. Laws 534,§ 23, eff. 5/12/2008.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 4 - MEAT PROCESSORS AND RELATED INDUSTRIES (§§ 26-2-130 — 26-2-133) › Section 26-2-132 - Maintenance and inspection of records

(a)
The following classes of persons, firms, and corporations shall keep such records as will fully and correctly disclose all transactions involved in their businesses; and all persons, firms, and corporations subject to such requirements shall, at all reasonable times, upon notice by a duly authorized representative of the Commissioner, afford such representative and any duly authorized representative of the secretary of agriculture of the United States accompanied by such representative of the Commissioner access to their places of business and opportunity to examine the facilities, inventory, and records thereof, to copy all such records, and to take reasonable samples of their inventory upon payment of the fair market value therefor:
(1)
Any persons, firms, or corporations that engage for commerce in the business of slaughtering any cattle, sheep, swine, nontraditional livestock, rabbits, goats, horses, mules, or other equines or preparing, freezing, packaging, or labeling any carcasses, or parts or products of carcasses, of any such animals for use as human food or animal food;
(2)
Any persons, firms, or corporations that engage in the business of buying or selling (as meat brokers, wholesalers, or otherwise) or transporting in commerce or storing in or for such commerce any carcasses, or parts or products of carcasses, of any such animals; and
(3)
Any persons, firms, or corporations that engage in business as renderers or engage in the business of buying, selling, or transporting any dead, dying, disabled, or diseased cattle, sheep, swine, nontraditional livestock, rabbits, goats, horses, mules, or other equines, or parts of such carcasses.
(b)
Any record required to be maintained by this Code section shall be maintained for such period of time as the Commissioner may by regulations prescribe.
Amended by 2008 Ga. Laws 534,§ 24, eff. 5/12/2008.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 3 - MEAT INSPECTION (§§ 26-2-60 — 26-2-133) › Part 4 - MEAT PROCESSORS AND RELATED INDUSTRIES (§§ 26-2-130 — 26-2-133) › Section 26-2-133 - Identification of carcasses, meat, or meat food products not intended for human use

No person, firm, or corporation shall buy, sell, transport, offer for sale or transportation, or receive for transportation any animal, carcasses, or parts thereof, meat, or meat food products of any such animals, which are not intended for use as human food unless they are denatured or otherwise identified as required by the regulations of the Commissioner or are naturally inedible by humans.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 4 - ADVERTISEMENT AND SALE OF MEAT GENERALLY (§§ 26-2-150 — 26-2-161) › Section 26-2-150 - Legislative intent

The General Assembly declares that purchasers and consumers have a right to expect and demand honesty and fair practices in the sale of meat for human consumption. It is the purpose of this Code section and Code Sections
26-2-151
through
26-2-154
to ensure that honest, fair, and ethical practices are followed in the advertising and sale of meat for human consumption and to authorize the Commissioner of Agriculture to take all actions necessary to ensure that such practices are followed. The General Assembly views with alarm the fact that misleading and false advertising and sales tactics have been used in the sale of meat to Georgia consumers. It is to stop these practices that the General Assembly has enacted this Code section and Code Sections
26-2-151
through
26-2-154
. The consumer has a right to know what he is buying and the true cost of the meat which he is purchasing for consumption.
Amended by 2003 Ga. Laws 9, § 26, eff. 5/14/2003.
2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 26 - FOOD, DRUGS, AND COSMETICS (§§ 26-1-1 — 26-5-80) › Chapter 2 - STANDARDS, LABELING, AND ADULTERATION OF FOOD (§§ 26-2-1 — 26-2-466) › Article 4 - ADVERTISEMENT AND SALE OF MEAT GENERALLY (§§ 26-2-150 — 26-2-161) › Section 26-2-151 - Promulgation of rules and regulations regarding deceptive advertising of meat

The Commissioner of Agriculture is authorized to promulgate and adopt rules and regulations necessary or convenient to carry out Code Section
26-2-150
, this Code section, and Code Sections
26-2-152
through
26-2-154
and to prevent the deceptive advertising of meat.
Amended by 2003 Ga. Laws 9, § 26, eff. 5/14/2003.