# Ala. Code § 20-1-20: Section 20-1-20 Definitions > Alabama · Statutes · In force URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AL_T20_C1_S20-1-20 ## Section - **Citation:** Ala. Code § 20-1-20 - **Heading:** Section 20-1-20 Definitions - **Jurisdiction:** Alabama - **Kind:** Statutes - **Status:** In force - **Text as of:** August 14, 2026 - **Source:** Compiled text - **Location:** Alabama Code / Title 20 / Chapter 1 / Section 20-1-20 ## Text When used in this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the following meanings, respectively, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise: (1) ARTICLE. When referring to food or drugs, such term is used in the broad and comprehensive sense and has reference to the food product or the drug product in question. (2) BABY FOOD. A food which purports to be or is represented for special dietary use as a food for babies by reason of its special formulation or its particular suitability for children under two years of age. (3) BOARD. The State Board of Agriculture and Industries. (4) CLASS A FOODS. Baby food, infant formula, and potentially hazardous food. (5) COMMISSIONER. The Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries. (6) DEALER. A manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer, jobber, and similar establishments, mobile or permanent, engaged in the sale of food for consumption on premises. (7) DEPARTMENT. The Department of Agriculture and Industries. (8) DRUG. All medicines and preparations recognized in the United States pharmacopoeia or national formulary for internal or external use and any substance or mixture of substances to be used for the cure, mitigation, or prevention of disease in man or domestic animals. (9) FOOD. All articles of food, drink, confectionery, or condiment, whether simple, mixed, or compound, used or intended for use by man or domestic animals. (10) FOOD SALES ESTABLISHMENT. Retail and wholesale stores and places of business, and similar establishments, mobile or permanent, engaged in the sale of food primarily for consumption off the premises. (11) INFANT FORMULA. A food which purports to be or is represented for special dietary use solely as a food for infants by reason of its simulation of human milk or its suitability as a complete or partial substitute for human milk. (12) LABEL. A display of written, printed, or graphic matter upon the immediate container of any article. (13) MISBRANDED. Such term shall apply to all drugs or foods or articles which enter into the composition of food, the package or label of which shall bear or contain any statement, design, or device regarding such article or the ingredients or substances contained therein which shall be false or misleading in any particular and to any food or drug product which is falsely branded as to the state, territory, or country in which it is manufactured or produced. (14) OPEN-DATE STATEMENT. The terms “Sell By”; “Freeze By”; “Sell or Freeze By”; “Not to be Sold After”; “Best if Used By”; “Expiration”; or other terms as defined by rules or regulations; or a date without additional words shall be considered an open-date statement. (15) OUT-OF-DATE. Any article with a label containing an open-date statement with a date affixed thereto which has passed. (16) PERSON. An individual, partnership, corporation, or association or any combination thereof. (17) POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS FOOD. A food that is natural or synthetic and that requires temperature control because it is in a form capable of supporting rapid and progressive growth of infectious or toxigenic microorganisms or the growth and toxin production of Clostridium botulinum or the growth of Salmonella Enteritidis. The term does not include foods which have a pH level 1 of 4.6 or below; or a water activity (a sub w) of 0.85 or less; or food products in hermetically sealed containers processed to achieve and maintain commercial sterility under unrefrigerated conditions. The foregoing notwithstanding, the board may by rule adopt the definition for “Potentially Hazardous Food” set out in subparagraph 1-201.10 (B)(61), Food Code, 1999 Recommendations of the United States Public Health Service, Food and Drug Administration, National Technical Information Service Publication, PB99-115929. (18) STANDARD OF PURITY OR QUALITY. The standards of purity for food products promulgated by the State Board of Agriculture and Industries and by statutes of this state. ## Nearby sections - [Ala. Code § 20-1-1 Section 20-1-1 Short Title; Enforcement of Chapter](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AL_T20_C1_S20-1-1.md) - [Ala. Code § 20-1-2 Section 20-1-2 Adoption of Rules and Regulations](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AL_T20_C1_S20-1-2.md) - [Ala. Code § 20-1-3 Section 20-1-3 Right of Entry by Commissioner and Agents; Authority to Take Samples, Investigate Records, Etc](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AL_T20_C1_S20-1-3.md) - [Ala. Code § 20-1-4 Section 20-1-4 Suspension from Sale, Seizure, and Condemnation of Articles Sold, Stored, Etc., in Violation of Chapter](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AL_T20_C1_S20-1-4.md) - [Ala. Code § 20-1-5 Section 20-1-5 Penalty for Violations of Chapter or Orders, Rules, or Regulations](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AL_T20_C1_S20-1-5.md) - [Ala. Code § 20-1-6 Section 20-1-6 Nonliability of Good Faith Donors and Distributors of Canned or Perishable Food](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AL_T20_C1_S20-1-6.md) - [Ala. Code § 20-1-7 Section 20-1-7 Regulation of Nutrition Labeling of Certain Food](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AL_T20_C1_S20-1-7.md) - [Ala. Code § 20-1-20 Section 20-1-20 Definitions](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AL_T20_C1_S20-1-20.md) - [Ala. Code § 20-1-21 Section 20-1-21 Purpose of Division; Standards; Construction of Chapter](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AL_T20_C1_S20-1-21.md) - [Ala. Code § 20-1-22 Section 20-1-22 When Articles Deemed Adulterated - Food Generally](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AL_T20_C1_S20-1-22.md) - [Ala. Code § 20-1-23 Section 20-1-23 When Articles Deemed Adulterated - Confectionery](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AL_T20_C1_S20-1-23.md) - [Ala. Code § 20-1-24 Section 20-1-24 When Articles Deemed Adulterated - Drugs](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AL_T20_C1_S20-1-24.md) - [Ala. Code § 20-1-25 Section 20-1-25 When Articles Deemed Misbranded Generally - Food](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AL_T20_C1_S20-1-25.md) - [Ala. Code § 20-1-26 Section 20-1-26 When Articles Deemed Misbranded Generally - Drugs](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AL_T20_C1_S20-1-26.md) --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AL_T20_C1_S20-1-20. Check the current official text before relying on it. Not legal advice.