Quarterly Newsletter

AAFCO supports The Innovative Feed Act’s goal to modernize current FDA regulations related to novel feed ingredients. American feed and pet food manufacturers, along with livestock producers across the country, deserve access to innovative and cutting-edge ingredients that have been rigorously reviewed under the appropriate regulatory pathway. This bipartisan bill will redirect the review of these novel ingredients to FDA’s Food Additive Petition Process, providing a more efficient evaluation while still maintaining the highest level of scientific rigor.

Austin Therrell recently penned an article for Agri-Pulse sharing how AAFCO’s and K-State Olathe’s new ingredient review pathway is an alternative solution as FDA considers overhauling the GRAS program.

AAFCO and our partners at K-State have been working hard to get the new Scientific Review of Ingredient Submissions (SRIS) pathway up and running. The new process will provide accurate, and speedy, scientific review for newly proposed animal food ingredients in half the time the evaluation process historically has taken. We recently launched a new website and look forward to beginning to accept submissions later this year.

The new AAFCO Digital Publication Package is now available, offering a convenient way to access our three essential publications with a single annual subscription. This package is perfect for new members or folks who have not previously purchased these publications.

       • The latest AAFCO Official Publication (online access only)

       • Pet Food Labeling Guide (downloadable)

       • Animal Feed Labeling Guide (downloadable)

The subscription is available for $200 for members or $300 for non-members.

The Barking Mad Podcast explored what’s at stake with the PURR Act—a piece of proposed legislation that promises to “unify” pet food regulations, but could actually strip away transparency, eliminate state oversight and allow for deceptive marketing claims.

The 2025 Animal Food Regulatory Program Standards meeting was held in March in Nashville, TN. Over 70 people attended, representing over 20 state programs. Attendees were able to network with fellow state and federal regulators and participate in a multi-day tabletop exercise that tested their program's response to an animal food-related incident.

Following a recommendation from the Pet Food Committee, the Board of Directors recently voted to change the term ‘intended use’ in the model pet food regulations to ‘purpose statement’ to further clarify the meaning. Changes can be found in the digital offering of the Official Publication beginning in PF2(a)(2) later this spring.

The Current Issues and Outreach Committee (CIOC) workgroup has created a Technical Assistance Network (TAN) for AAFCO members. States have always worked with one another to provide feedback on how a particular issue is handled in their respective state, and the TAN aims to formalize this process and provide interpretation from an AAFCO perspective. Inquiries can now be submitted via the AAFCO website on the TAN page.

FeedBIN Update

There have been quite a few questions about the FeedBIN recently. The FeedBIN is now solely used for accessing the digital version of the Official Publication. If you’re looking for past meeting minutes or materials, you can find them under the respective committee page on AAFCO’s website. 

AAFCO’s Strategic Affairs Committee is working on the next strategic plan and is seeking input from industry and consumers. If you have views or input on what you’d like to see in the future, please share your feedback to AAFCO@aafco.org.

This course will provide feed facilities with an understanding of FDA’s new requirements and how to create an effective animal food safety plan. Attendees will learn the fundamentals of animal food safety from nationally recognized experts.

The AFIA is hosting a Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA) for Animal Food training July 15-17, in Nashville, TN. This course is the "standardized curriculum" FDA recognizes as adequate for PCQI training and will be led by Paul Davis, Ph.D., AFIA's director of quality, animal food safety and education, and Gary Huddleston, AFIA's director of feed manufacturing and regulatory affairs. Space is limited!

In 2023, U.S. livestock, poultry and farmed aquaculture consumed approximately 283.6 million tons of feed according to a new report by The Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER), in collaboration with the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) and North American Renderers Association’s (NARA) research arm the Fats and Proteins Research Foundation (FPRF).

Make sure your inspectors are ready to hit the field with custom-made inspection probes; safety vests and glasses; shirts, hats and mugs from The AAFCO Depot. Our online e-commerce store has everything you need for new (and experienced) team members.

When you shop The AAFCO Depot, you’re helping AAFCO fund important projects, trainings and scholarships for members to attend workshops.

AAFCO’s Job Opportunities site is a great resource to recruit top talent in the animal feed and pet food industry. With thousands of website visits each month, we can help get your available positions in front of inspectors, lab technicians, and other management level folks across the country.

Available positions are currently listed on the AAFCO Job Opportunities site. Please note that these openings are submitted by the hiring organization and are not endorsed by AAFCO.