The Florida Senate

585.71  Legislative intent.--Animal products are an important source of the state's total supply of food, which is consumed throughout the state and a large portion of which moves in intrastate commerce. It is essential to the public interest that the health and welfare of consumers be protected by ensuring that the animal products distributed to them are wholesome, are not adulterated, and are properly marked, labeled, and packaged. Unwholesome, adulterated, or misbranded animal products impair the effective regulation of animal products in intrastate commerce; are injurious to the public welfare; destroy markets for wholesome, unadulterated, and properly labeled and packaged animal products; result in monetary losses to livestock and poultry producers and processors of animal products; and threaten the health and well-being of consumers. Unwholesome, adulterated, mislabeled, or deceptively packaged animal products can be sold at lower prices and compete unfairly with the wholesome, unadulterated, and properly labeled and packaged animal products, to the detriment of individual consumers and the public at large.

History.--s. 44, ch. 90-321.