For the purpose of the regulations in this part, unless the context otherwise requires, the following terms shall be construed, respectively:

Act means the applicable provisions of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (60 Stat. 1087; 7 U.S.C. 1621 et seq.), or any other Act of Congress conferring like authority.

Administrator means the Administrator of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the Department or any other officer or employee of the Department to whom there has been delegated, or to whom there may be delegated the authority to act in the Administrator's stead.

Applicant means any interested party who requests any inspection service, or appeal inspection, with respect to any product.

Class means any subdivision of a product based on essential physical characteristics that differentiate between major groups of the same kind, species, or method of processing.

Condition means any condition (including, but not being limited to, the state of preservation, cleanliness, soundness, wholesomeness, or fitness for human food) of any product which affects its merchantability; or any condition, including, but not being limited to, the processing, or packaging which affects such product.

Department means the United States Department of Agriculture.

District Manager means the manager in charge of a district, which is a designated geographical area.

Eggs of Current Production means shell eggs that have moved through the usual marketing channels since the date of lay and are not in excess of 60 days old.

Holiday or Legal holiday means the legal public holidays specified by the Congress in paragraph (a) of section 6103, Title 5, of the United States Code.

Inspection means the act by inspection program personnel of:

(1) Determining, according to these regulations, the class, quality, quantity, or condition of any product by examining each unit thereof or a representative sample drawn by inspection program personnel;

(2) Issuing a certificate; or

(3) Identifying, when requested by the applicant, any product by means of official identification pursuant to the Act and this part.

Inspection certificate or certificate means a statement, either written or printed, issued by inspection program personnel pursuant to the Act and this part, relative to the class, quality, quantity, and condition of products.

Inspection program personnel (employee) means employees of the Department authorized by the Secretary to investigate and certify, in accordance with the Act and this part, to shippers of products and other interested parties the class, quality, quantity, and condition of such products.

Interested party means any person financially interested in a transaction involving any inspection or appeal inspection of any product.

Official plant means any plant in which the facilities and methods of operation therein have been found by the Administrator to be suitable and adequate for inspection in accordance with this part and in which such service is carried on.

Person means any individual, partnership, association, business trust, corporation, or any organized group of persons, whether incorporated or not.

Product or products means eggs (whether liquid, frozen, or dried), egg products, and any food product that is prepared or manufactured and contains eggs as an ingredient.

Program employee means any person employed by the Department or any cooperating agency who is authorized by the Secretary to do any work or perform any duty in connection with the program.

Quality means the inherent properties of any product that determine its relative degree of excellence.

Regulations mean the provisions in this part.

Sampling means the act of taking samples of any product for inspection.

Secretary means the Secretary of the Department or any other officer or employee of the Department to whom there has heretofore been delegated, or to whom there may hereafter be delegated, the authority to act in the Secretary's stead.

Service means: (1) Any inspection, in accordance with the Agriculture Marketing Act and the regulations in this part, of any product,

(2) Supervision, in any official plant, of the processing, packaging and identification, or

(3) Any appeal inspection of any previously inspected product.

Shell eggs mean the shell eggs of the domesticated chicken, turkey, duck, goose, and guinea.