(1) Every person, firm, or corporation operating a restaurant or any other eating place, or retail or wholesale market or packinghouse, in this state, and who sells beef that has not been slaughtered and inspected according to standards established by either the Government of Florida or of the United States, shall mark, stamp, or describe the same by the following words, “slaughtered in” followed by the name of the state or country and the words “has not been slaughtered and inspected according to federal or state standards.”

(2)(a) Packinghouses and wholesale and retail meat markets before sale of beef which is within the purview of subsection (1) shall plainly stamp on each carcass, each carton, each can, and each container, the words prescribed in subsection (1) and all advertising as to the sale of such beef shall include such words; provided, however, that a conspicuous sign containing the words prescribed in subsection (1) visibly displayed near the display of such beef in retail markets may be used when the stamping of individual cuts of beef is impractical.

(b) It shall be the duty of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services through its agents or inspectors to enforce the provisions of this subsection.

(3)(a) Restaurants or other eating places advertising their meals or food, by menus or otherwise, shall set out plainly in such menus, advertisements or otherwise as to beef coming within the purview of the law the words prescribed in subsection (1).

(b) It shall be the duty of the Division of Hotels and Restaurants of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation through its agents or inspectors to enforce the provisions of this subsection.

(4) Any person willfully and knowingly violating any of the provisions of this section or any person who fails to comply with any of the requirements hereof shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083, and each day during which such a violation shall continue, shall be deemed a separate violation and a separate offense.

(5) Nothing herein shall be construed to prohibit the use of additional words in describing the grade, quality, or kind of such beef.

History.—ss. 1-5, ch. 65-29; ss. 14, 16, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 1150, ch. 71-136; s. 254, ch. 94-218.