Go To SFGov, the official site for San Francisco Bay Bridge
sfgov | residents | business | government | visitors | online services

ARTICLE 10: MEAT AND MEAT PRODUCTS


Sec. 535. Definitions.

Sec. 536. Meat Inspection Brands.

Sec. 537. State Laws.

Sec. 539. Sale from Vehicles, Etc.

Sec. 540. Penalty.

Sec. 541. Exemptions.

Sec. 546. Use of Dyes, Chemicals, Etc., in Meat or Meat Products.

Sec. 547. Penalty.

Sec. 552. Transportation of Uncovered Carcasses for Food Use.

Sec. 553. Sale of Horse or Mule Meat Prohibited.

Sec. 563. Keeping of Swine.

Sec. 568. Meat Defined.

Sec. 569. Meat Must be as Advertised.

Sec. 570. False Advertising Prohibited.

Sec. 574. Penalty.

SEC. 535. DEFINITIONS.

"Department" as used in this Article shall mean the Department of Public Health of the City and County of San Francisco.

"The Director" as used in this Article shall mean the Director of Public Health of the City and County of San Francisco.

The term "meat" as used in this Article shall mean the edible part of the carcass of any cattle, calf, sheep, lamb, goat or swine which is not manufactured, cured, smoked, processed or otherwise treated.

"Meat food products" as used in this Article shall mean any article of food, or any article which enters into the composition of food for human consumption which is derived or prepared in whole or in part from any portion of the carcass of any of the animals mentioned in Section 536 of this Article, if such portion is all, or a considerable or definite portion of the article, except such articles as meat juices or meat extracts which are only for medical purposes and are advertised only for medical purposes and are advertised only to the medical profession.

"Federal inspection" as used in this Article shall mean any service for the inspection of meat and meat food products maintained by the government of the United States.

"State inspection" as used in this Article shall mean any service for the inspection of meat and meat food products maintained by the State of California.

"Local inspection" as used in this Article shall mean any service for the inspection of meat and meat food products maintained by the City and County of San Francisco under approval of the Department of Agriculture of the State of California.

"Other approved inspection services" as used in this Article shall mean any meat and meat food products inspection service maintained by any city or county, which said service has been approved and continues to be approved by the Department of Agriculture of the State of California.

SEC. 536. MEAT INSPECTION BRANDS.

No person, firm or corporation shall expose for sale or offer for sale, or sell or otherwise dispose of, or have in his possession, in the City and County of San Francisco, any meat of any cattle, calf, sheep, lamb, goat or swine or any meat food products thereof, which does not have thereon the inspection mark or brand and stamp of approval of either the federal inspection, state inspection, local inspection or other approved inspection service. If any carcass of any animal heretofore named or meat food products are kept, or offered for sale, or exposed within the City and County of San Francisco which does not bear one of the aforesaid stamps or brands, said Department shall take possession of and destroy said meat or meat food products.

(a) No Meat Without Inspection to be Shipped. No person, firm or corporation shall ship, send, bring or cause to be brought into the City and County of San Francisco, the meat of any cattle, sheep, lamb, goat or swine, or any meat food products thereof, which does not bear the meat inspection brand or other mark of identification recognized by the Department, and/or the Department of Agriculture of the State of California.

(b) Calves. The carcasses of calves in good healthy condition and weighing more than 55 pounds for smaller breeds or 65 pounds for larger breeds, exclusive of head, heart, lungs and liver, may be brought into the City and County of San Francisco, and each of said carcasses of such calves must be inspected and stamped and marked by the Department at the point of arrival of said carcasses of such calves in the City and County of San Francisco, or at their first place of rest.

(c) Unsound, Unhealthful, Etc., Meats. All meats or meat food products which are unsound, unhealthful, unwholesome or otherwise unfit for food, shall be stamped or otherwise marked by the Department "San Francisco Department of Public Health and Condemned" and shall be destroyed or otherwise disposed of as provided by rule of the Department.

(d) Reinspection. All meats or meat food products sold or offered for sale in the City and County of San Francisco shall be subject to reinspection and condemnation by the Department.

(e) Unlawful to Forge, Alter, Etc., Brands. It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to forge, counterfeit, simulate or falsely represent, or without proper authority to use or detach or wrongfully alter, deface or destroy any of the stamps or marks or brands recognized by the Department, on any cattle, calf, sheep, lamb, goat or swine, or any meat food products thereof, or any carcass, or any part of parts of any carcass or carcasses named in Section 536 of this Article, except that the processor thereof may remove or destroy any stamp or mark before said carcass or portion thereof is processed, or any retail butcher may destroy and stamp or mark before any portion of said carcass is delivered to the ultimate consumer thereof.

(f) Authority to Make Regulations. The Department is authorized to adopt, promulgate and enforce such rules and regulations regarding the slaughterhouses and places where meat food products are manufactured, as well as such rules and regulations relative to the inspection of meats and meat food products, as will enable the Department to enforce and carry out the meaning and intent of this Article, and to maintain the standard of meat inspection of the Department of Agriculture of the State of California.

SEC. 537. STATE LAWS.

All of the provisions of the Agricultural Code of the State of California, as well as the rules and regulations made under authority of said Code, regarding the inspection and examination of any of the animals mentioned in Section 536 of this Article, as well as regarding the killing of said animals and the inspection, keeping and handling of the meat of said animals, and meatfood products thereof, except in so far as the same are changed or modified by this or other ordinances of the City and County of San Francisco, or by rules made under authority of said ordinances, shall apply to the inspection and examination and killing of said animals mentioned in said Section 536, and to the inspection, keeping and handling of the meat of said animals.

SEC. 539. SALE FROM VEHICLES, ETC.

All persons, firms or corporations selling, or offering for sale, any meat, or meat food products from any vehicle, wagon, truck, cart or automobile, shall keep said vehicle, wagon, truck, car or automobile in a clean and sanitary condition, and the same shall be subject to inspection by the Department.

Any person, firm or corporation, without a fixed or established place of business within the City and County of San Francisco engaged in the business of selling, or offering for sale, any meat or meat food products from any vehicle, wagon, truck, cart or automobile, shall first obtain a permit from the Department.

Each such vehicle shall have printed conspicuously on both sides the firm name, address and Department permit number of the vehicle in letters and figures not less than three inches in height.

(Amended by Ord. 93-68, App., 4-19-68).

SEC. 540. PENALTY.

Any person, firm or corporation, or their agents, violating any of the provisions of Sections 535 to 539, inclusive, of this Article, or failing to comply with any direction or order of the Director of Public Health of the City and County of San Francisco, given pursuant to the provisions of this Article, or any agent of said Director, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction shall be punished by a fine not less than $50, nor more than $500, or by imprisonment in the County Jail for a period of not less than 10 days nor more than three months, or by both such fine and imprisonment; and any violation of the provisions of this Article shall subject the violator thereof to revocation of any and all permits held.

SEC. 541. EXEMPTIONS.

Any person, firm or corporation paying the fees provided in this Article shall be exempt from the payment of the fees provided for in Section 228, Part III of this Municipal Code.

SEC. 546. USE OF DYES, CHEMICALS, ETC., IN MEAT OR MEAT PRODUCTS.

It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to sell, prepare for sale, offer for sale or have on hand for sale any meat or meat-food product which shall contain any substance which lessens its wholesomeness, or any drug, chemical, dye or preservative, other than common salt, sugar, wood smoke, vinegar, pure spices or saltpeter.

Whenever any conviction is sought under this section upon any alleged sample of meat or meat food product, it must clearly appear that the sample of meat or meat food product, it must clearly appear that the sample was taken in duplicate and one of said samples left with the accused or with his agent, servant or employee.

SEC. 547. PENALTY.

Any person, firm or corporation violating the provisions of Section 546 of this Article shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction thereof, shall be punishable by a fine of not less than $25 nor more than $500 or by imprisonment in the County Jail for not more than six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

SEC. 552. TRANSPORTATION OF UNCOVERED CARCASSES FOR FOOD USE.

It shall be unlawful for any person to transport any beef, mutton, veal, pork, or the carcass of any animal used for food, along any public street, unless it be so covered, or unless the vehicle in which it is transported be so constructed, as to entirely protect the meat from dust and dirt, and so that the same may not be exposed to view.

SEC. 553. SALE OF HORSE OR MULE MEAT PROHIBITED.

It shall be unlawful to transport for sale, sell, offer for sale, or expose for sale, any horse meat or mule meat for human consumption within the City and County of San Francisco.

SEC. 563. KEEPING OF SWINE.

It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to keep or cause to be kept any swine in the City and County of San Francisco except as follows:

For the sole purpose of loading, unloading, feeding and slaughtering of swine, the provisions of this section shall not apply to that part of the city and county bounded and described as follows:

Starting at the point of intersection of the southwesterly line of Arthur Avenue with the southeasterly line of Third Street or Railroad Avenue; then continuing along Arthur Avenue to the intersection with the northwesterly line of Keith Street; thence southeasterly along Keith Street to the northeasterly line of Fairfax Avenue; thence northwesterly along the northeasterly line of Fairfax Avenue to the southeasterly line of Third Street, also called Railroad Avenue; and thence northeasterly to Arthur Avenue and point of commencement; provided, that all buildings and structures shall be built and maintained in accordance with the building laws applicable thereto; and provided, further, that a certificate of sanitation shall be obtained from the Director of Public Health for the maintenance or operation of said business or premises, and further provided that no swine shall be kept upon said premises or within the City and County of San Francisco for a period longer than 30 days.

SEC. 568. MEAT DEFINED.

As used in this Article, "meat" shall mean the edible part of the carcass of any cattle, calf, sheep, lamb, goat or swine.

SEC. 569. MEAT MUST BE AS ADVERTISED.

Any class or cut of meat which is defined in Sections 568 to 572 inclusive, of this Article, must conform to such definition if advertised as such or offered for retail as such.

SEC. 570. FALSE ADVERTISING PROHIBITED.

It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, co-partnership, association or corporation, or any agent or employee thereof, selling or delivering or offering for sale or delivery meat at retail to misrepresent classes or "cuts" of meat as defined in Sections 568 to 572, inclusive, of this Article in their advertising or placards, or in any other manner whatsoever.

SEC. 574. PENALTY.

Any person violating any provisions of Sections 568 to 574, inclusive, of this Article shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.