# § 2578b. Definitions
**(a)** **In general** As used in this part:
**(1)** **Agency** The term “agency” means a Federal department or agency (or combination of Federal departments or agencies).
**(2)** **Commissioner** The term “Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Food and Drugs.
**(3)** **International standard-setting organization** The term “international standard-setting organization” means an organization consisting of representatives of 2 or more countries, the purpose of which is to negotiate, develop, promulgate, or amend an international standard.
**(4)** **Sanitary or phytosanitary standard** The term “sanitary or phytosanitary standard” means a standard intended to form a basis for a sanitary or phytosanitary measure.
**(5)** **International standard** The term “international standard” means a standard, guideline, or recommendation—
**(A)** regarding food safety, adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, including a standard, guideline, or recommendation regarding decomposition elaborated by the Codex Committee on Fish and Fishery Products, food additives, contaminants, hygienic practice, and methods of analysis and sampling;
**(B)** regarding animal health and zoonoses, developed under the auspices of the International Office of Epizootics;
**(C)** regarding plant health, developed under the auspices of the Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention in cooperation with the North American Plant Protection Organization; or
**(D)** established by or developed under any other international organization agreed to by the USMCA countries (as defined in section 4502 of this title) or by the WTO members (as defined in section 3501(10) of this title).
**(b)** **Other definitions** section 2575b of this titlesection 2575b of this title
The definitions set forth in apply for purposes of this part except that in applying paragraph (7) of with respect to a sanitary or phytosanitary measure of a foreign country, any reference in such paragraph to the United States shall be deemed to be a reference to that foreign country.
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**Source Credit**: (Pub. L. 96–39, title IV, § 493, as added Pub. L. 103–465, title IV, § 432, Dec. 8, 1994, 108 Stat. 4972; amended Pub. L. 116–260, div. O, title VI, § 602(f), Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 2154.)
## Editorial Notes
### Amendments
2020—Subsec. (a)(5)(D). substituted “the USMCA countries (as defined in )” for “the NAFTA countries (as defined in section 2(4) of the North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act)”.
## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
### Effective Date of 2020 Amendment
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### Effective Date
Section effective on the date of entry into force of the WTO Agreement with respect to the United States (), except as otherwise provided, see , set out as a note under .