New York Consolidated Laws, Agriculture and Markets Law - AGM § 251-z-2. Definitions

1. The terms “food” and “food products” shall include all articles of food, drink, confectionery or condiment, whether simple, mixed or compound, used or intended for use by man and shall also include all substances or ingredients to be added to food for any purpose.

2. “Person” shall mean any individual, corporation, partnership, association or other organized group of persons, or any business entity by whatever name designated and whether or not incorporated.

3. The term “food processing establishment” means any place which receives food or food products for the purpose of processing or otherwise adding to the value of the product for commercial sale.  It includes, but is not limited to, bakeries, processing plants, beverage plants and food manufactories.  However, the term does not include:  those establishments that process and manufacture food or food products that are sold exclusively at retail for consumption on the premises;  those operations which cut meat and sell such meat at retail on the premises;  bottled and bulk water facilities;  those food processing establishments which are covered by articles four, four-a, five-a, five-b, five-c, five-d, seventeen-b, nineteen, twenty-b, and twenty-one of this chapter;  service food establishments, including vending machine commissaries, under permit and inspection by the state department of health or by a local health agency which maintains a program certified and approved by the state commissioner of health;  establishments under federal meat, poultry or egg product inspection;  or establishments engaged solely in the harvesting, storage, or distribution of one or more raw agricultural commodities which are ordinarily cleaned, prepared, treated or otherwise processed before being marketed to the consuming public.

4. The term “processing” means processing foods in any manner, such as by manufacturing, canning, preserving, freezing, drying, dehydrating, juicing, pickling, baking, brining, bottling, packing, repacking, pressing, waxing, heating or cooking, or otherwise treating food in such a way as to create a risk that it may become adulterated if improperly handled.

5. The term “chain store” means a food processing establishment that is part of a network of subsidiaries, affiliates, or other member stores under direct or indirect control of a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, or other organized entity.