(a) This chapter applies to perishable commodities, whether or not packed in ice or held in cold storage, and does not apply to perishable commodities that have been manufactured into an article of food of a different kind or character.
(b) For purposes of this section, the effects of the following operations do not change a perishable commodity into an article of food of a different kind or character: freezing; water or steam blanching; shelling; chopping; adding color; curing; cutting; dicing; drying for the removal of surface moisture; fumigating; gassing; heating for necessary control; ripening; coloring; removal of seeds, pits, stems, calyxes, husks, pods, rinds, skins, peels, or similar items; trimming; washing with or without chemicals; waxing; adding sugar or other sweetening agents; adding ascorbic acids or other agents used to retard oxidation; mixing with several kinds of sliced, chopped, or diced perishable commodities for packaging in any type of container; or any comparable method of preparation.