Iowa § 137A.1 - 137A.1 Definitions.

§ 137A.1. 137A.1 Definitions.

As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires: 1. “Department” means the department of inspections, appeals, and licensing. 2. a. “Egg” means a food product that is the reproductive output of an agricultural food animal classified as a chicken. b. “Egg” includes albumen and yolk encased in a calcium-based shell. 3. “Egg processing” means the processing of eggs that may include any of the following: a. The handling, preparation, and packaging of whole shelled or unshelled eggs. b. The handling, preparation, heating, and packaging of whole shelled or unshelled eggs. c. The breaking of eggs and the separation of eggs; pasteurization; filtering, mixing, stabilizing, or blending parts of the egg; any cooling, freezing, or drying of parts of the egg; storage; and packaging. 4. “Egg product” means a food product derived from egg processing in which eggs or egg parts are the primary ingredient. 5. “Fabricated-egg product” means a food product, if it has one or more sensory attributes that resemble an egg product but that, in lieu of being the output of a chicken commonly referred to as a laying hen, is derived from manufactured plants or other organic materials. 6. a. “Identifying egg term” means any word or phrase that states, indicates, suggests, or describes an egg product, regardless of whether the word or phrase is used individually, as a portmanteau, or as a compound word. b. “Identifying egg term” includes but is not limited to any of the following: (1) (a) A common name for a type of a chicken, including laying hen, hen, or layer, cage-free, poultry, or fowl. (b) A common name for a characteristic of a chicken based on age, breed, or sex. (2) Any part of the egg, including its egg, eggshell, egg white, or yolk. (3) (a) A common name that a reasonable purchaser would immediately and exclusively associate with an egg product prepared for sale in normal commercial channels such as custard, eggnog, frittata, huevos rancheros, omelette, mayonnaise, meringue, sunny side up, over easy, over hard, scrambled, or quiche. (b) A comparable word or phrase as approved by the department. 7. “Label” means a display of written, printed, or graphic matter placed upon any container storing a food product that is offered for sale or sold on a wholesale or retail basis, regardless of whether the label is printed on the container’s packaging or a sticker affixed to the container. 8. a. “Qualifying term” means a word, compound word, or phrase that would clearly disclose to a reasonable purchaser of egg products from a food processing plant that a food product is not an egg product. b. “Qualifying term” includes but is not limited to fake, imitation, egg-free, plant, plant-based, vegan, vegetable, vegetarian, veggie, or a comparable word or phrase as approved by the department. 9. “Regulatory authority” means the same as defined in section 137F.1. 2024 Acts, ch 1158, §14 Referred to in §135.16D Wed Dec 10 22:54:58 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Section 137A.1 (3, 0)