Quarterly NewsletterQ4 2025 |
|
|
|
 |
A Letter from Our President |
Dear AAFCO Members, |
Heading into the fall season, we have exciting AAFCO accomplishments to highlight. The new SRIS process is up and running! This is the result of lots of hard work from our partners at Kansas State and the team of members and advisors who have been working to make sure all the guidance and information is ready to go. I’m looking forward to seeing the first submissions come through the system. |
The AAFCO Board of Directors and leadership had a productive fall meeting in September in Billings, Montana. A big thank you to Linda Morrison for leading us through our strategic planning exercise. You’ll see that rollout over the next few months, and we’ve got some important goals to work towards over the next 5 years. Since one of our goals is to increase our active membership, I’m going to use this opportunity to encourage members to log into Basecamp and check out the “AAFCO members page”. There are a lot of resources there, especially in the docs & files section. |
If you’ve recently logged in to the electronic OP, you may have noticed that the AVA Virtual Assistant has been added. This is active now for our group of beta testers and will roll out to everyone in the new year. You won’t need a separate login. You’ll be able to launch AVA and take advantage of the AI tool right from your OP access. |
Registration for the mid-year meeting in New Orleans is now open, so book your hotel rooms and get your registrations in. It should be another great meeting with lots of interesting topics to discuss. |
I look forward to seeing everyone in New Orleans in January! |
|
|
Sincerely, |
 |
Laura Scott President |
|
|
|
|
|
SRIS Now Accepting Applications |
The Scientific Review of Ingredient Submissions (SRIS) program, a collaboration between AAFCO and the Kansas State University Olathe Innovation Campus, is now accepting applications to establish new animal food ingredient definitions or modify existing ones. Applicants can choose from three submission options: Basic Scientific Review, Full Submission Package, or Expanded Submission Package. Submissions may address ingredients for livestock or companion animals. Learn more and apply below. |
| Apply Now |
|
|
|
Register for the 2026 Midyear Meeting |
 |
Register now for AAFCO’s 2026 Midyear Meeting, taking place January 20-22 in New Orleans. Join peers for three days of collaboration and updates on feed policy and practice, with two workshops on January 19 and January 22 for additional training. Find details, hotel information, and registration on the event page. |
| Visit Event Page |
|
|
|
|
CFIA Feed Education Week |
NC State and the Carolina Feed Industry Association invite feed professionals to CFIA Feed Education Week, a focused series of trainings taking place November 4–6. The program includes:
1. A full-day, discussion-based QA roundtable shaped by industry-submitted topics, with a regulatory update and Q&A from North Carolina Feed Administrator Marissa Kost. 2. An advanced training day, hosted by the CFIA Feed Production Technology School, for facility managers, supervisors, and experienced industry partners to discuss current industry issues and receive direct feedback from production teams. 3. A course focused on preventive maintenance, taught by manufacturers and technical sales experts of the CFIA Equipment Maintenance School.
Learn more and register for the event below. |
| Learn More |
|
|
|
|
|
|
CVM Shares Update on H5N1 and Food Safety Plans |
The FDA has released an update to prior CVM guidance on H5N1 and food safety plans, noting that H5N1 detections typically rise during fall migration and that H5N1 may be a known or reasonably foreseeable hazard when certain ingredients are used in cat and dog food. The update also points to a new USDA-APHIS policy with recommendations on pre-slaughter surveillance, a resource pet food manufacturers can use when evaluating ingredient suppliers. |
| Register Now |
|
|
|
|
AAFCO Partners with Amazon on Animal Safety
|
AAFCO partnered with Amazon to share practical guidance on pet food safety as part of Amazon’s Consumer Safety Tips. It offers quick tips for choosing, storing, and handling dog and cat food, aligning with AAFCO’s consumer education resources. |
| Learn More |
|
|
Membership Renewals Coming Up
|
AAFCO's annual membership renewal will be coming up on November. AAFCO membership is limited to employees of state and federal agencies who enforce animal-feed regulations. Please keep an eye out with more information in the coming weeks. Don't forget your membership must be current in order to vote at the Midyear Meeting in January. |
|
|
Seeking Old Official Publications |
AAFCO is searching for some old editions of the Official Publication to complete some records. If you have a copy of the OP from 1955, 1957, 1958, or 1959, please reach out to aafco@aafco.org. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Midyear Meeting |
Jan 20-22, 2026 | New Orleans, LA Register Now |
|
|
PetFood Forum |
April 27-29, 2026 | Kansas City, MO Learn More |
|
Feed Administrator's Seminar |
May 2026 | Connecticut Details Coming Soon |
|
|
2026 Annual Meeting |
August 26-28, 2026 | San Diego, CA Details Coming Soon |
|
|
|
|
|
|
We sat down with Bailey Whiten, the Director of the Ag Inputs Division at the Georgia Department of Agriculture. |
|
|
Why did you first get involved with AAFCO? |
|
I got involved with AAFCO to collaborate and learn from other states. I was very new to our Feed Program and wanted to learn all the do’s and don’t’s from other states who were very eager and willing to share. |
|
|
How has AAFCO contributed or played a role in your career? |
|
AAFCO has pushed me out of my comfort zone in networking. AAFCO has allowed me the privilege of meeting and connecting with so many people from other states, FDA, and industry. Any time a crazy question or idea comes up, I have a growing list of experts I can reach out to for assistance or to talk things through with, which has really strengthened my confidence in the animal food regulatory world. |
|
|
What’s one thing you’d like to say to encourage members to get involved? |
|
Don’t be afraid to walk up to someone new during the meeting breaks! You never know who you might connect with and what relationships might be built from just saying hello. |
|
|
What do you hope to see for AAFCO in the next 5 years? |
|
I hope to see AAFCO membership continue to grow with more state, FDA, industry, and consumer involvement. We’ve had a lot of really great and knowledgeable contributors retire recently and we need the next leaders of AAFCO to start volunteering and stepping up. Those folks left big shoes to fill, but I’m confident in our next round of leaders. |
|
|
Tell us about the pets or animals in your life. |
|
Our home is ruled by two wild dogs and two wild cats. Banjo, our COVID-crisis 5-year-old Treeing Walker Coonhound is constantly entertaining us, while our 8-year-old sweet Husky-Lab mix, Gus, keeps us calm. Our two cats, Sloan and Avery, spend their days sleeping and evenings running around like wild boys. It’s a chaotic house but we wouldn’t have it any other way. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
We sat down with the Washington State Department of Agriculture to learn about their feed program. |
|
|
Tell us a little about your state’s feed program? |
|
Washington’s animal food program is a nine-member team within WSDA’s Food Safety & Consumer Services Division focused solely on animal food (livestock, poultry, fish, pet, and specialty). We regulate the safety and integrity of animal food to protect animal and public health and ensure market fairness, emphasizing partnership, professionalism, efficiency, and innovation. Federally, we have participated in AFRPS since 2021 and conduct FDA contract inspections under the Animal Food Safety Inspection Contract. |
|
|
Can you share about recent successes that your program has had? |
|
We pioneered the first state-led surveillance testing for HPAI in pet food, responding quickly with federal and lab partners to help prevent further harm. We were among the first to adopt AAFCO’s Pet Food Label Modernization, and our analysis led to clarifications later implemented nationally. Our field team completed its first full FDA contract year ahead of schedule, finishing four comprehensive inspection audits. We also secured a new AFRPS cooperative agreement despite administrative hurdles, advanced the Mutual Reliance option, and supported other states through their applications. |
|
|
Can you share about recent challenges that your program has overcome? |
|
We are adapting our regulatory processes to address online-only products, creating procedures to quickly identify and bring unregistered items into compliance with strong results. We have maintained effective operations despite fragmented legacy systems and are nearing implementation of a comprehensive new database. During our HPAI work, when voluntary compliance fell short, we shifted from collaborative recommendations to targeted enforcement and ensured a smooth transition. |
|
|
What’s something you’re most proud of that your program and/or state agency has done? |
|
We are most proud of our team’s resilience and creativity. After losing all inspectors in a short period, we rebuilt quickly, overhauled hiring and training, and partnered with AFRPS states and FDA experts to deliver top-tier, hands-on preparation. We also expanded support for industry by securing funds with ImpactWA to offset training costs, creating user-friendly inspection tools, and hosting educational webinars. Each initiative reflects a culture of clear communication, practical problem-solving, and unwavering commitment to animal food safety. |
|
|
How is your program involved in AAFCO? |
|
We are deeply engaged with AAFCO through leadership, policy work, and daily collaboration. Our Program Manager, Ashlee-Rose Ferguson, serves as AAFCO’s Secretary-Treasurer, Finance Committee Chair, and AFRPS/AFDO Liaison, and our Advisor Liz Beckman co-chairs the Pet Food Committee. Our team also serves on multiple committees, work groups, and task forces. We helped shape and adopt Pet Food Label Modernization and contributed clarifications later implemented nationally. |
|
|
How has your state begun adopting PFLM? |
|
PFLM has been adopted and became effective in Washington State on July 7, 2025. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
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. |
| Shop Now |
|
|
|
|
|
Recruit with AAFCO |
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. |
| Submit Your Job Today |
|
|
Current Job Opportunities |
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. |
| View Job Opportunities |
|
|
|
Looking to get involved? |
Contact aafco@aafco.org if you’re interested in getting involved.
|
|
|
|
|
