21 U.S.C. § 16 — Introduction into, or sale in, State or Territory or District of Columbia of dairy or food products falsely labeled or branded

This law is about dairy and food products that carry a false label. It applies when a label falsely states the state or territory where the food was made, produced, or grown. No person, company, or corporation may bring falsely labeled dairy or food products into any state or territory. This includes bringing them into the District of Columbia from another state or territory. The law also bans selling these products in the District of Columbia or in any territory. It does not matter if someone else does the mislabeling. Causing or arranging for another person to do this labeling is also against the law. This section does not state what penalty applies for breaking this rule. It also does not define what counts as a "dairy or food product" beyond this general description.

The record. According to the source credit, this section derives from an Act of Congress approved July 1, 1902, chapter 1357, section 1, published at 32 Stat. 632. The source credit shows no subsequent amendments to this provision, indicating that the text has remained in its originally enacted form since 1902. Historical context. The 1902 Congress operated during a period of growing national concern over misrepresentation and adulteration in the food and dairy trade, as interstate commerce expanded and consumers increasingly relied on labeling to identify the origin and quality of goods they purchased. This era generally saw a series of federal statutes aimed at curbing deceptive practices in the sale of agricultural products, culminating a few years later in broader food-safety legislation such as the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. Against that backdrop, this particular chapter law is commonly understood to reflect an effort to protect both consumers and honest producers from false claims about the state or territory of origin of dairy and food products moved in interstate commerce. However, the source credit alone does not provide legislative history, committee findings, or statements of purpose specific to this section, and no such details should be inferred beyond the general historical pattern described above. The precise concerns that prompted this particular provision's inclusion are not established by the record before us.