21 U.S.C. § 641 — Prohibition of subchapter I inspection of articles not intended for use as human food; de­naturation or other identification prior to distribution in commerce; inedible articles

This section applies to meat-processing plants that handle animals not meant to become human food — such as diseased or condemned animals. Federal inspectors will not inspect these plants the way they inspect plants making food for people. But before any such product is sold or shipped, it must be treated so people cannot mistake it for food. The Secretary sets rules for how to "denature" it — make it clearly unfit or marked as not-for-human-food. This step is not required if the product is naturally inedible by humans anyway. The section also bans buying, selling, transporting, or importing these animal carcasses, parts, or meat products in commerce. This applies whenever they are not meant for human food. That ban applies unless the product has been denatured or identified as the Secretary requires, or unless it is naturally inedible.

The record. According to the source credit, this section originates from the Act of March 4, 1907, ch. 2907, title II, as a component of the original enactment. The section itself, as currently codified, was added by Public Law 90-201, § 14, enacted December 15, 1967, and published at 81 Stat. 593. The source credit does not reflect any subsequent amendments beyond this addition, indicating the text has remained stable since 1967. Historical context. Public Law 90-201 is generally understood to be the Wholesome Meat Act of 1967, enacted during a period of heightened public and congressional attention to meat inspection standards, following renewed scrutiny of both federal and state inspection systems. The broader legislative effort of that era is commonly cited as aiming to strengthen and modernize federal meat inspection authority, including closing gaps between state and federal oversight and addressing products not intended for human consumption. Within that general context, this particular section—addressing inspection exemptions for animals slaughtered for non-human-food purposes and requiring denaturing or identification of such products—appears consistent with the broader statutory purpose of preventing inedible or uninspected animal products from entering the human food supply. However, the specific legislative reasoning behind this provision's precise requirements, or any committee deliberation particular to it, is not established by the materials provided here. Readers should not treat the general historical account above as documentation of specific congressional intent for this section.