AAFCO to Host Pet Food Seminar

Covering the newly updated model regulations for pet food, ingredient definition process and expert panel discussion during Petfood Forum 2024.

The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) is hosting a workshop about its newly revised Model Regulations for Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food and the ingredient definition process. The workshop, Pet Food Seminar, will take place on April 29, 2024, at Petfood Forum in Kansas City, Mo.

The Pet Food Seminar workshop is geared to help pet food manufacturers understand the recent pet food labeling changes that were approved in July 2023, and will cover:

• The differences between AAFCO ingredient definitions, GRAS notices, food additives and color additives;
• The options available when it’s time to submit a new ingredient for review;
• What a successful ingredient submission should include;
• The submission process and timeline for a response; and
• Overview of AAFCO and the FDA’s roles and how the two organizations work together.

“The Pet Food Seminar is an opportunity for pet food manufacturers and industry professionals to better understand the new Model Regulations that were put in place to make it easier for consumers to understand pet food information and labels,” said Austin Therrell, executive director of AAFCO.

The workshop will also include a Q&A panel discussion with three experts in the pet food regulatory field:

• Tiffany Leschishin, feed regulatory consultant for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture 
• Ali Kashani, former program manager for the Washington State Department of Agriculture and AAFCO Life Member
• Chris Berg, supervisor of the regulatory affairs product labeling team for Hills Pet Nutrition

For more information about the Pet Food Seminar and to register, click here.

About AAFCO

The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) has been guiding state, federal and international feed regulators with ingredient definitions, label standards and laboratory standards for more than 110 years, while supporting the health and safety of people and animals. Its members are charged by their state or federal laws to regulate the manufacture, sale and distribution of animal feeds and feed ingredients. Learn more at aafco.org.