Under the Act of February 15, 1927 (44 Stat. 1101, as amended, 21 U.S.C. 141-149), commonly known as the Federal Import Milk Act, the importation into the United States of milk and cream is prohibited unless the person by whom such milk or cream is shipped or transported into the United States holds a valid permit, or its electronic equivalent, from the Department of Health and Human Services. Such permits become invalid at the end of one year unless applications for renewal are filed prior to the date of expiration.
The regulations of the Department of Health and Human Services under the said act require that each container of milk or cream shipped or transported into the United States by a permittee shall have firmly attached thereto a tag showing in clear and legible type the product (raw milk, pasteurized milk, raw cream, or pasteurized cream) the permit number and the name and address of the shipper; except that in case of unit shipments consisting of milk only or cream only under one permit number, each container need not be so marked if the vehicle of transportation is sealed and tagged with the above-mentioned tag. In such case the tag is required to show, in addition to the other required information, the number of containers and the contents of each. Customs officers shall not permit the importation of any milk or cream that is not tagged in accordance with such regulations.