Interpretation

(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires“animal” does not include bird; “area” in relation to a local authority and to officers of such an authority, means their district; “article” in relation to food, does not include a live animal or bird, but except as aforesaid includes in the case of an animal, bird or fish the whole or any part thereof; “artificial cream” means an article of food which, though not cream, resembles cream and contains no ingredient which is not derived from milk except water or any substance which may lawfully be contained in an article sold as cream, being some substance not injurious to health which in the case of cream may be required for its production or preparation as an article of commerce in a state fit for carriage or consumption and which 8 has not been added fraudulently to increase bulk, weight or measure or conceal inferior quality; “authorised officer” means a medical officer of health, or any person authorised in writing by the Minister or a local authority under section 3, to exercise any of the powers conferred by this Act; “Bread and Flour Regulations” means the regulations made “butter” means the substance usually known as butter, made exclusively from milk with or without salt or other preservative, and with or without the addition of colouring matter; “cheese” means the substance usually known as cheese, containing no fat other than fat derived from milk; “container” includes a package or receptacle of any kind whether open or closed; “cream” means that part of milk rich in fat which has been separated by skimming or otherwise; “dairy” includes any farm, cowshed, milk store, milk shop or other premises from which milk is supplied on or for sale, or in which milk is kept or used for purposes of sale or of manufacture into butter, cheese, dried milk or condensed milk for sale, or in which vessels used for the sale of milk are kept, but does not include a shop from which milk is supplied only in the properly closed and unopened vessels in which it is delivered to the shop, or a shop or other place in which milk is sold for consumption on the premises only; “dairyman” includes an occupier of a dairy, a cow-keeper, and a purveyor of milk; 9 “district” in relation to a local authority and the officers of such an authority, means the town or area for which the authority or such officers act; “drug” includes medicine for internal or external use; “food” means any article used as food or drink for human consumption, other than drugs or water, and includes– (a) any substance which is intended for use in the composition or preparation of food; (b) any flavouring matter or condiment; and (c) any colouring matter intended for use in food; Provided that, notwithstanding anything in this definition, the addition of any colouring or flavouring matter or condiment to an article used as food or drink shall be deemed to be the addition of a substance to food; “Food Regulations” means the regulations made under section 11; “functions” includes powers and duties; “ice-cream” includes any similar commodity containing any proportion of milk, powdered milk or condensed milk; “importer” in relation to an imported article, includes any person who, whether as owner, consignor, consignee, agent or broker, is in possession of, or in any way entitled to the custody or control of, the article; “knacker’s yard” means any premises used in connection with the business of slaughtering, flaying or cutting up animals the flesh of which is not intended for human consumption; “local authority” means10 (a) as respects Belize City, the Belize City Council; (b) as respects the City of Belmopan, the Belmopan City Council; (c) as respects any district or area, the Town Council of that district or area constituted under the Town Councils Act; (d) as respects any other part of Belize, such person or persons, or a Village or Community Council, as may be appointed by the Minister; “margarine” means any food, whether mixed with butter or not, which resembles butter and is not milk-blended butter; “margarine-cheese” means any substance prepared in imitation of cheese and containing fat not derived from milk; “meat” means the edible part of the muscle of any animal which is skeletal or which is found in the diaphragm, heart or oesophagus with or without the accompanying and overlying fat and the portions of bone, skin, sinew, nerve and blood vessels which normally accompany the muscle tissue and which are not separated from it in the process of dressing, but does not include the muscle found in the lips, snout or ears; CAP. 40. “medical officer of health” means a medical officer of health within the meaning of sections 2 and 3 of the Public Health Act, and assigned by the Minister to discharge the duties of a medical officer of health within the district of a local authority; “Milk and Dairies Regulations” means the regulations made “milk-blended butter” means any mixture produced by mixing or blending butter with milk; 11 “officer” includes servant; “official certificate” means any certificate issued by an authorised officer or other person performing official functions under this Act or regulations made thereunder; “premises” includes messuages, buildings, land, easements and hereditaments of any tenure; “prepare”, in relation to food, includes manufacture and “preparation” shall be construed accordingly; “public analyst” means the public analyst or other expert referred to in section 33; “purveyor” in relation to milk, includes any person who sells milk, whether wholesale or by retail; “sampling officer” means an authorised officer exercising the powers conferred upon him by section 34; “sanitary convenience” means a closet, privy or urinal; “separated” in relation to milk, includes skimmed; “shop” means any premises where any retail or wholesale trade or business is carried on and includes any warehouse occupied for the purposes of his trade by any person carrying on any retail trade or business or by any wholesale dealer or merchant; “slaughterhouse” means any premises in any area to which the Slaughter of Animals Act applies, used for slaughtering animals, the flesh of which is intended for sale for human consumption, and includes any place available in connection therewith for the confinement of animals while awaiting slaughter there or for keeping, or subjecting to any treatment or process, products of the slaughtering of animals there and includes any place available in connection with a slaughterhouse and used for the manufacture of bacon, ham, sausages, meat pies or other CAP. 154. 12 manufactured meat products or for the storage of meat used in such manufacture; “substance” includes a liquid; “transit” includes all stages of transit from the dairy, place of manufacture or other source of origin, to the consumer; and “vessel” includes a receptacle of any kind, whether open or closed. (2) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires– (a) any reference to milk shall be construed as including a reference to cream and to separated milk, but not as including a reference to dried milk or to condensed milk; and (b) any reference to food of any kind sold, or offered, exposed, intended, or in preparation, for sale for human consumption, shall be construed as including a reference to that food sold, or offered, exposed, intended, or in preparation, for sale for the manufacture of products for human consumption.