Meat, meat food products, poultry, and poultry products are an important source of the State's total supply of food. They are consumed throughout the State. It is essential to the public interest that the health and welfare of consumers be protected by assuring that these commodities are wholesome, unadulterated, and properly marked, labeled, and packaged. Unwholesome, adulterated, or misbranded meat, meat food products, and poultry products impair the effective regulation of intrastate commerce, are injurious to the public welfare, destroy markets for wholesome, not adulterated and properly labeled and packaged meat, meat food product, and poultry product, as well as cause injury to consumers. The unwholesome, adulterated, mislabeled, or deceptively packaged articles can be sold at lower prices and compete unfairly with the wholesome, unadulterated, correctly labeled, or nondeceptively packaged articles, to the detriment of consumers and the public generally. It is hereby found that the regulation, enforcement, licensing, and other provisions contained within this chapter are necessary to protect the health and welfare of consumers. (Added 1985, No. 226 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. June 2, 1986.)