---
kind: "section"
citation: "21 U.S.C. § 642"
title: "21"
title_heading: "Food and Drugs"
number: "642"
heading: "Recordkeeping requirements"
release: "119-102"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/21/642"
units:
  - "Chapter 12 — Meat Inspection"
  - "Subchapter II — Meat Processors and Related Industries"
---

# §642. Recordkeeping requirements

- (a) **Classes of persons bound; scope of disclosure; access to places of business; examination of rec­ords, facilities, and inventories; copies; samples—** The following classes of [persons](/usc/21/379j–21.md?p=k-10), [firms](/usc/21/601.md?p=b), and corporations shall keep such records as will fully and correctly disclose all transactions involved in their businesses; and all [persons](/usc/21/379j–21.md?p=k-10), [firms](/usc/21/601.md?p=b), and corporations subject to such requirements shall, at all reasonable times upon notice by a duly [authorized](/usc/21/360eee–1.md?p=a-6) representative of the [Secretary](/usc/21/601.md?p=a), afford such representative access to their places of business and opportunity to examine the [facilities](/usc/21/350g.md?p=o-2), inventory, and records thereof, to copy all such records, and to take reasonable samples of their inventory upon payment of the fair market value therefor—
  - (1) Any [persons](/usc/21/379j–21.md?p=k-10), [firms](/usc/21/601.md?p=b), or corporations that engage, for [commerce](/usc/21/601.md?p=h), in the business of slaughtering any cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules, or other equines, or preparing, freezing, packaging, or [labeling](/usc/21/601.md?p=p) any carcasses, or parts or products of carcasses, of any such animals, for use as human [food](/usc/21/346a.md?p=a-1) or animal [food](/usc/21/346a.md?p=a-1);
  - (2) Any [persons](/usc/21/379j–21.md?p=k-10), [firms](/usc/21/601.md?p=b), or corporations that engage in the business of buying or selling (as [meat brokers](/usc/21/601.md?p=c), [wholesalers](/usc/21/384.md?p=a-5-A) or otherwise), or transporting in [commerce](/usc/21/601.md?p=h), or storing in or for [commerce](/usc/21/601.md?p=h), or importing, any carcasses, or parts or products of carcasses, of any such animals;
  - (3) Any [persons](/usc/21/379j–21.md?p=k-10), [firms](/usc/21/601.md?p=b), or corporations that engage in business, in or for [commerce](/usc/21/601.md?p=h), as renderers, or engage in the business of buying, selling, or transporting, in [commerce](/usc/21/601.md?p=h), or importing, any dead, dying, disabled, or diseased cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules, or other equines, or parts of the carcasses of any such animals that died otherwise than by slaughter.
- (b) **Period of maintenance—** Any record required to be maintained by this section shall be maintained for such period of time as the [Secretary](/usc/21/601.md?p=a) may by regulations prescribe.

## Source credit

(Mar. 4, 1907, ch. 2907, title II, § 202, as added Pub. L. 90–201, § 14, Dec. 15, 1967, 81 Stat. 593.)