The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is seeking comments on its handling of pet food ingredient approvals after announcing last week that it would not renew a memorandum of understanding with the Association of American Feed Control Officials.
The agency released a draft policy Thursday making it official: After Oct. 1, “it will no longer serve as the scientific and technical reviewer for ingredients subject to the AAFCO ingredient definition submission process.”
After the MOU expires, FDA will implement a new Animal Feed Ingredients Consultation (AFIC) process while simultaneously evaluating its animal feed additive application and its Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) reporting programs “to support companies developing animal feed ingredients for which they might otherwise have used AAFCO’s ingredient definition process,” the policy states.
“AFIC could be used for ingredients that constitute a significant portion of an animal’s diet, including plant materials, grains, or byproducts from human food,” the agency said on its website.
Another guidance said the company does not plan to take “enforcement actions with respect to the food additive approval requirements” of the Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act for ingredients listed in AAFCO’s latest Office Publication (OP).
Regarding ingredients that are not listed in the 2024 AAFCO OP, are not approved as food additives or GRAS, and that FDA has not reviewed through the AAFCO process, “we are not aware of any safety concerns that would cause us to require the withdrawal of an ingredient from the AAFCO OP, and many have a long history of use in animal feed,” the draft enforcement guidance for AAFCO-defined ingredients states.
After FDA and AAFCO announced the end of the MOU that had been in place since 2007, Tracey Forfa, director of FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, said in a “Letter to Stakeholders” that the public is being asked to provide input “on specific questions to help us determine what is working, what is not, and what changes may be needed. FDA has begun this process informally through public hearings and meetings with stakeholders and believes now is the right time to reevaluate FDA’s approach to its premarket animal food programs.”
She said the relationship between FDA and AAFCO “is not ending but will continue to evolve. FDA will continue to participate in AAFCO committees and meetings and work closely with AAFCO and states to ensure the safety of the animal feed supply.”
The American Feed Industry Association, which last week expressed concerns about the “elimination of a system that has worked well for decades,” sent a message to its members on Thursday saying it “discussed the situation with the federal agency and AAFCO at AAFCO’s annual meeting this week and plans to develop industry comments on the proposed policy documents and conduct a more comprehensive review of FDA’s processes.”
Austin Therrell, executive director of AAFCO, said last week that the “ingredient definition process is a shining example of successful collaboration and partnership between the states and the federal government. While we are disappointed that the MOU will not be renewed, we are committed to serving as a mediator between FDA and state regulatory programs and advocating for standardization in the pet food industry.”
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