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- Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) of 1930---This program promotes fair trading in the fresh and frozen fruit and vegetable industry. Through PACA, buyers and sellers are required to live up to the term of their contracts and procedures are available for resolving disputes outside the civil court system.
- Federal Seed Act-- This act protects everyone who buys seed by prohibiting false labeling and advertising of seed in interstate commerce.
- Plant Variety Protection -- This program provides intellectual property rights protection to developers of new and distinct seed-reproduced and tuber-propagated plants ranging from farm crops to flowers.
- Shell Egg Surveillance Program -- AMS is responsible for shell egg surveillance inspections mandated by the Egg Products Inspection Act. The inspections enhance fair competition and facilitate marketing of consumer-grade eggs by assuring the proper disposition of “restricted eggs,” (i.e. checked and dirty eggs, leaking eggs, incubator rejects, loss and inedible eggs). The inspections performed by USDA and cooperating State agencies, are conducted at least once each calendar quarter.
- Country of Origin Labeling Program (COOL)--- AMS is responsible for administration and enforcement of the Country of Origin Labeling program which is a labeling law that requires retailers, such as full-line grocery stores, supermarkets, and club warehouse stores, notify their customers with information regarding the source of certain foods. Food products, (covered commodities) contained in the law include muscle cut and ground meats: beef, veal, pork, lamb, goat, and chicken; wild and farm-raised fish and shellfish; fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables; peanuts, pecans, and macadamia nuts; and ginseng.
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