If any person, firm, corporation, partnership, association or any other business association which processes, manufactures or imports food products has placed upon or accompanying the shipping container, shipping case, pallet or invoice of such food products, any information, whether in coded form or otherwise, which specifies the expiration, 'use by' date or similar date; or the lot, batch, date of manufacture or processing or other information regarding the identity of the food product; it shall be unlawful to willfully alter, mutilate, destroy, obliterate or remove such information other than in connection with the destruction of the entire shipping container, shipping case, pallet or invoice. The provisions of this section and any regulations promulgated hereunder shall not be deemed to require any manufacturer, processor or importer of food products to so label any food product prior to distribution in the state or to prevent a manufacturer, processor or importer of food products from correcting or causing to be corrected any of the information accompanying the shipping container, shipping case, pallet or invoice. prevent a manufacturer, processor or importer of food products from correcting or causing to be corrected any of the information accompanying the shipping container, shipping case, pallet or invoice. The provisions of this section shall not affect any provision of federal, state or local law, ordinance, rule or regulation regarding the placing of an expiration or 'use by' date on the retail container of any food product.
New York Legal Code