David A. Dzanis, DVM, Ph.D., DACVN.Dr. Dzanis is a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and CEO of Regulatory Discretion Inc. He is also the author of Petfood Industry magazine's monthly column, "Petfood Insights."From the Author - Page 10Pet Food IngredientsNew AAFCO website to help small petfood manufacturersIn the September 2010 issue of Petfood Industry, I briefly reported on the Association of American Feed Control Officials’ intent to launch a website designed particularly to help small manufacturers understand and comply with labeling and other state and federal regulatory requirements. The preview of the site at last year’s annual meeting met with tremendous applause from the audience.Pet Food SafetyMisunderstanding of petfood regulations rife on WebThe Internet is certainly replete with opinions about commercial petfoods and their regulation. Much of what’s on the Web is extremely disparaging of both the industry and government.Pet Food LabelingVeterinary groups offer pet nutritional assessment guidelinesBoth the American Animal Hospital Association and World Small Animal Veterinary Association have recently published guidelines for the nutritional assessment of pets as part of routine physical examinations. The role of nutrition in animal health has long been a very important but often underutilized component of veterinary medicine.Pet Food IngredientsWhat’s in a name? New and proposed petfood ingredientsDespite the expectation that the Food and Drug Administration will phase out its participation in the Association of American Feed Control Officials feed ingredient definition process by 2012, there are still many ingredients in the definition pipeline. During its “mid-year” meeting in January, AAFCO took action on a number of new and proposed ingredients, at least a few of which have impact on petfoods.Pet Food RegulationsUS petfood labeling updateIn the US, petfood labeling is stipulated by the Association of American Feed Control Officials Model Regulations for Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food. The models are constantly evolving, with often at least an amendment or two every year.Pet Food RegulationsThere oughta be an App for that!I am not a Luddite. Admittedly, though, I do tend to keep using my electronic gadgetry for periods well beyond their optimal utility. Thus, it was a rare and auspicious occasion when I recently retired my 12-year-old cell phone in favor of both a new smart phone and a new tablet computer (I won’t divulge the brand name of these items, but it rhymes with “Snapple”). With that update in equipment I quickly became exposed to the wonderful world of Apps (short for applications) and became particularly interested in those related to petfoods.Market Trends and ReportsWhy you should read 'Feed Your Pet Right'I met Drs. Marion Nestle and Malden C. Nesheim, the authors of Feed Your Pet Right (Free Press, 2010), at Petfood Forum 2010. Admittedly, prior to their presentation, I was quite skeptical about what I was going to hear, as both authors were self-proclaimed outsiders to the petfood arena.Pet Food IngredientsThe GRAS process for petfood ingredientsThe implementation of a “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) notification process for animal feed ingredients has been eagerly awaited for years. It is not surprising, then, that the announcement by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) of its intent to start accepting notifications this past summer was met with great enthusiasm by the petfood industry.Market Trends and ReportsChickens: new opportunity for the pet treat industry?Recently, a commentary in the op-ed section of a local newspaper proclaimed chickens to be “the new black.” Apparently, keeping poultry has become increasingly popular among the less agriculturally inclined in the US, not only in the suburbs but with the big city folk, too.Pet Food RegulationsMore news from AAFCOLast month, I reported on the activities of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) Pet Food Committee during its annual meeting in Portland, Oregon, USA, in early August. This month I cover items that occurred outside of the Pet Food Committee session but still may affect petfoods.Pet Food RegulationsAAFCO committee passes calorie proposalThe Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) held its annual meeting in Portland, Oregon, USA, July 31 through August 2, 2010. The Pet Food Committee (PFC) session generated many newsworthy items.Market Trends and ReportsCat food’s role in urinary tract health now unclearMy attendance at the meeting also afforded me the opportunity to learn much from the other speakers. Particularly interesting were several presentations on feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC) and how the understanding of the role of diet in its pathophysiology and treatment has changed.Previous PagePage 10 of 15Next Page