§ 18753 Adulterated Livestock Products

• •Meat, eggs, or other animal foods that are dirty, rotten, or otherwise unsafe are illegal to sell.
• •Even a small amount of filth or decay makes the product adulterated.
• •The law is meant to protect people from getting sick from contaminated animal foods.

A family buys a package of chicken at the grocery store, but when they cook it they notice a bad smell and the meat looks gray. After eating it, several family members get sick.

Because the chicken had a foul odor and looked bad, it was likely contaminated with filthy or decomposed material. Under this law, that makes the chicken adulterated, so the store could be fined and the product removed from shelves.