Quarterly NewsletterQ2 2026 |
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A Letter from Our President |
Dear AAFCO Members, |
It was great to see and visit with so many of you at the 2026 Midyear Meeting in New Orleans. The meeting was well attended and full of conversations, collaborations, and some debates. I hope attendees found the Midyear meeting, the Scientific Review of Ingredient Submissions (SRIS) workshop, and the Investigation workshop beneficial. |
From its inception, AAFCO has been an organization based on bringing standardization to the feed industry. As we move through the next year, I hope to continue building relationships between AAFCO, the feed industry, regulators, and consumers toward our longstanding, shared goal of producing safe and nutritious livestock feed and pet foods. I would like to build on regulatory harmonization among the states, among the federal government, and among the feed industry. |
To aid harmonization, AAFCO is developing a label review service in addition to the AAFCO Virtual Assistant and Online Database of Ingredients (ODI) that are currently available to Official Publication digital subscribers. We are working hard to offer more value to your budgets while providing modern regulatory tools. |
Have a wonderful spring and summer! Registration for the 2026 Annual Meeting is now open, and I look forward to connecting with you there! |
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Sincerely, |
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Dan King President |
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Reminder: Register for the 2026 Advanced Inspector Training Seminar |
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Registration is open for AAFCO's 2026 Advanced Inspector Training Seminar, taking place June 8-12, 2026, in Charleston, South Carolina. The seminar is open to State Feed Control Officials, with registration set at $550 per person and attendance limited to 40 participants. Visit the event page for details about location, accommodations, and to register. |
| Register Now |
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Early Registration for the 2026 Annual Meeting is Open |
Registration is now open for the 2026 AAFCO Annual Meeting, taking place August 26-28, 2026, in San Diego, California. Attendees are encouraged to register by June 11 to take advantage of early pricing and start planning for this year's meeting. The Annual Meeting is a valuable opportunity to connect with regulators, industry representatives, and other stakeholders while staying informed on key issues shaping animal food regulation. Visit our website to register and learn more about meeting details, workshop information, hotel accommodations, and important deadlines. |
| Learn More & Register |
New at the 2026 Annual Meeting: Graduate Student Poster Contest As part of the 2026 Annual Meeting, AAFCO will host its first Graduate Student Poster Presentation Contest to spotlight graduate research in animal food safety, nutrition, and regulation. Selected students will present at the meeting in San Diego this August. The deadline to submit abstracts is May 29, 2026. Learn more about the contest here. |
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NC State Feed Manufacturing Short Course and PCQI Training |
NC State is hosting two upcoming training opportunities at the J. Edward Booth Field Learning Lab: the Feed Manufacturing Short Course on April 27-28, 2026, and Preventive Controls for Animal Food (PCQI) Training on April 29-May 1, 2026. These courses offer valuable learning opportunities for feed industry professionals, from foundational manufacturing topics to FDA-aligned food safety plan training. Registration is $550 per course or $1,000 for both. |
| Learn More |
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Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) Animal Food Course |
Looking for training opportunities? APHL is offering an online Animal Food course designed to provide a foundational overview of animal and pet food testing in the laboratory. This entry-level two-part course is designed for analysts working in public health human and animal food laboratories and covers key topics including regulatory framework, laboratory testing procedures, analytes of concern, quality requirements, and emergency response. Learn more and enroll through the APHL Learning Center. |
| Learn More |
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FDA Withdraws Two Temporary COVID FSMA Guidances |
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is withdrawing the following two temporary guidances, originally published during the COVID-19 public health emergency, regarding human and animal foods that involve onsite visits under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act:
These guidances were originally issued during the COVID-19 public health emergency to provide flexibility around onsite auditing and observation requirements while helping firms maintain food safety and availability. Because COVID-19 no longer makes travel broadly impracticable, the FDA has determined these temporary policies are no longer relevant or needed. To give industry time to prepare, the withdrawals will take effect on June 16, 2026. |
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IDC Spring Webinar |
April 8, 2026 | Virtual Learn More |
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Feed Administrator's Seminar |
April 20-24, 2026 | Westbrook, CT Learn More |
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PetFood Forum (Booth #1716) |
April 27-29, 2026 | Kansas City, MO Learn More |
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2026 AFRPS Meeting |
May 12-14, 2026 | Virtual (Regulators Only) Learn More |
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Advanced Inspector Training Seminar |
June 8-12, 2026 | Charleston, SC Learn More |
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2026 Annual Meeting |
August 26-28, 2026 | San Diego, CA Learn More |
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Basic Inspector Training Seminar |
September 21-25, 2026 | Clemson, SC Details Coming Soon |
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We sat down with Samantha Moran-Defty, member of the California Department of Agriculture's (CDFA) Commercial Feed Regulatory Program (CFRP) |
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Why did you first get involved with AAFCO? |
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I first got involved in AAFCO around 2015, attending meetings and getting involved in a few committees. At that time, CA was heavily involved in AAFCO, and I was chosen to attend because I was focusing a lot of my work on FSMA readiness for industry and was encouraged to attend to make some connections and to be exposed to the other states and AAFCO. |
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How has AAFCO contributed or played a role in your career? |
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I believe that AAFCO has helped me make connections and has allowed me an opportunity to ask questions to the right people. This has helped me in my sense of direction within my state and to have the opportunity to have discussions in areas where California's outlook differs. |
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What's one thing you'd like to say to encourage members to get involved? |
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Just don't be afraid. Everyone is welcoming, and all states do things pretty differently. It's comforting to see all the different ways states approach things and to be able to learn from each other. |
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What do you hope to see for AAFCO in the next 5 years? |
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I hope to see more collaborative alignment with industry and states. I think we often are all working toward the same goals, but lack transparency. In the last 5 years, we've had a lot of retirements, and with that, a lot of historical knowledge and relationships lost. AAFCO is currently working on tools to open communication between states, and I hope to see this in full effect in the next 5 years. |
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Tell us about the pets or animals in your life. |
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I have a 14-year-old quarter horse that I enjoy riding when I can, and a 31-year-old mustang that I was reunited with from my childhood that my own kids are riding. We have a companion mule at our house named Samuel that came to us from my in-laws and has an extended stay. We have 2 Catahoula mix dogs. We have our old one-eyed dog Hank who is almost 13 and is slowing down, and our puppy Rue who is 8 months old and full of energy. We of course have a little barn cat named Millie who is a great mouser who serves as our pest control. We have our laying hens and have been working on downsizing as we are looking to move in the coming year and don't want to bring any additional critters with us. |
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We sat down with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship to learn about their Feed and Fertilizer Bureau. |
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Tell us a little about your state's feed program. |
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The Feed & Fertilizer Bureau has 14 employees and oversees feed, fertilizer, aglime, and eggs. Eleven staff members serve in field roles and are trained to conduct inspections across all product lines. The entire feed staff is trained and capable of conducting all FDA inspections. |
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Can you share a recent success or a challenge your program has overcome? |
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One recent success has been helping train industry staff by sponsoring and funding PCQI training. To date, more than 80 industry professionals have completed the required training through this effort. |
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What is a recent achievement by your program or state agency that you are most proud of? |
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Iowa completes more FDA inspections each year than any other state. This year, the program will inspect around 215 facilities under FDA contract. |
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How is your program involved in AAFCO? |
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The program remains actively involved in AAFCO through leadership, training, and meeting participation. Staff engage in AITS and BITS training for new hires, participate in the AAFCO seminar, and have presented at several AAFCO meetings. |
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How has your state begun adopting PFLM? |
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Iowa currently accepts PFLM labels by policy and is in the process of drafting new rules to reflect PFLM requirements. |
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Are there any other state initiatives you would like to highlight to AAFCO members? |
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Iowa places a strong emphasis on education before enforcement. Inspectors work directly with facilities to support compliance rather than immediately issuing violations. For issues that are not considered high-risk, concerns are documented in inspection notes and followed up on within a few months to help facilities come into compliance. If improvement does not occur after coaching and follow-up, the formal violation process may begin, though that step is rarely needed. |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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Looking to get involved? |
Contact aafco@aafco.org if you're interested in getting involved.
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