# 500.2 Terms defined.
As used in this part, unless the context otherwise specifically requires:
(a) The term *Act* means the “Fair Packaging and Labeling Act” (Pub. L. 89-755, approved Nov. 3, 1966; 80 Stat. 1296 *et seq.;* 15 U.S.C. 1451 *et seq.,* as amended by Public Law 102-329, August 3, 1992).
(b) The term *regulation* or *regulations* means regulations promulgated by the Commission pursuant to sections 4, 5, and 6 of the Act (15 U.S.C. 1453, 1454, 1455).
(c) The term *consumer commodity* or *commodity* means any article, product, or commodity of any kind or class which is customarily produced or distributed for sale through retail sales agencies or instrumentalities for consumption by individuals, or use by individuals for purposes of personal care or in the performance of services ordinarily rendered within the household, and which usually is consumed or expended in the course of such consumption or use. For purposes of the regulations in this part the term *consumer commodity* does not include any food, drug, device or cosmetic as defined by section 201 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 321); any meat or meat product, poultry or poultry product, or tobacco or tobacco product; any commodity subject to packaging or labeling requirements imposed by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency pursuant to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136 *et seq.*); any commodity subject to the provisions of the eighth paragraph under the heading “Bureau of Animal Industry” of the Virus-Serum-Toxin Act (21 U.S.C. 151-157); any beverage subject to or complying with packaging or labeling requirements imposed under the Federal Alcohol Administration Act (27 U.S.C. 201 *et seq.*); any commodity subject to the provisions of the Federal Seed Act (7 U.S.C. 1551-1610).
(d) The term *package* means any container or wrapping in which any consumer commodity is enclosed for use in the delivery or display of that commodity to retail purchasers. For purposes of the regulations in this part the term *package* does not include shipping containers or wrappings used solely for the transportation of any consumer commodity in bulk or in quantity to manufacturers, packers, or processors, or to wholesale or retail distributors thereof unless used in retail display; shipping containers or outer wrappings used by retailers to ship or deliver any commodity to retail customers if such containers and wrappings bear no printed matter pertaining to any particular commodity; or containers subject to the provisions of the Act of August 3, 1912 (37 Stat. 250, as amended; 15 U.S.C. 231-233), the Act of March 4, 1915 (38 Stat. 1186, as amended; 15 U.S.C. 234-236); or transparent wrappers or containers which do not bear written, printed, or graphic matter obscuring any part of the label information required by this part.
(e) The term *label* means any written, printed, or graphic matter affixed to or appearing upon any consumer commodity or affixed to or appearing upon a package containing any consumer commodity; except that:
(1) An inspector's tag or other nonpromotional matter affixed to or appearing upon a consumer commodity shall not be deemed to be a label requiring the repetition of label information required by this part, and
(2) For the purposes of the regulations in this part the term *label* does not include written, printed, or graphic matter affixed to or appearing upon commodities, or affixed to or appearing upon containers or wrappers for commodities sold or distributed to industrial or institutional users.
(f) The term *person* includes any firm, corporation or associations.
(g) The term *commerce* means:
(1) Commerce between any State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any territory or possession of the United States, and any place outside thereof, and
(2) Commerce within the District of Columbia or within any territory or possession of the United States, not organized with a legislature, but shall not include exports to foreign countries.
(h) The term *principal display panel* means that part of a label that is most likely to be displayed, presented, shown, or examined under normal and customary conditions of display for retail sale. The principal display panel must be large enough to accommodate all the mandatory label information required to be placed thereon by this part without obscuring designs, vignettes, or crowding. This definition does not preclude utilization of alternate principal display panels on a label of a package, but alternate principal display panels must duplicate the information required to be placed on the principal display panel by this part. This definition does not preclude utilization of the container closure as the surface bearing the principal display panel if that label location is the one most likely to be displayed, presented, shown, or examined under normal and customary conditions of display for retail sale. The principal display panel of a label appearing on a cylindrical surface is that 40 percent of the circumference which is more likely to be displayed, presented, shown, or examined under normal and customary conditions of display for retail sale. The principal display panel of a consumer commodity marketed in a decorative type container, or a container having a capacity of
1/4 ounce (7.4 mL) or less, may be considered to be a tear-away tag or tape affixed to the container and bearing the mandatory label information as required by this part, but the type size of the net quantity of contents statement shall be governed by the dimensions of the container itself. The principal display panel of a consumer commodity marketed on a display card to which the immediate container of the commodity is affixed may be considered to be the display panel of the card, and the type size of the net quantity of contents statement is governed by the dimensions of the display card.
(i) The term *random package* means a package which is one of a lot, shipment, or delivery of packages of the same consumer commodity with varying weights, that is, packages with no fixed weight pattern.
(j) The term *SI metric* refers to units belonging to the International System of Units (abbreviated “SI” from the French, *Le Systeme International d'Unites*), as interpreted or modified for use in the United States by the Secretary of Commerce. They include the SI units (together with their multiples and submultiples) as well as other metric units (e.g., the liter) that are accepted for use with the SI units because of their practical importance.
(k) The term *customary inch/pound* refers to units belonging to the system of units used in the United States based on or derived from the ounce, pound, and ton for weight; the inch, foot, yard, and mile for length; the fluid ounce, pint, quart, and gallon for volume; and dry pint, dry quart, peck, and bushel for dry measure.
(l) The term *“e” mark* refers to the symbol “e” used in connection with the quantity declarations on labels of some consumer commodities marketed primarily in the European Community (EC). The “e” mark constitutes a representation by the packer or importer that the package to which it is applied has been filled in accordance with the average system of quantity specified by the EC. The average system is a method of declaring package fill in the EC and other countries of the world, including the United States.