Feed associations disappointed FDA-AAFCO MOU will expire

The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA), American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) and the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) expressed disappointment that MOU 225-07-7001 will not be renewed.   

The Memorandum of Understanding facilitated the partnership between the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and AAFCO to govern the definition of animal feed ingredients for 17 years and will expire on Oct. 1, 2024.

To date, the partnership has significantly shaped the standards and practices of the animal feed industry.

AFIA and NGFA have strongly supported the long-standing relationship. The AFIA expressed concern that dissolving the MOU will make the U.S. market less attractive for innovators by increasing uncertainty in regulatory review processes and potentially raising the time and costs for approving new animal food ingredients.

NGFA’s David Fairfield, senior vice president, feed, said, “The FDA/AAFCO ingredient definition process utilized federal and state expertise, along with stakeholder input, to ensure the safety and utility of ingredients, thereby protecting animal health, the safety of animal-based foods consumed by humans, and public health.”

“FDA’s participation within the AAFCO process has been effective and yielded a comprehensive list of ingredients that promote a common understanding and acceptance within the industry, FDA and state regulators, consumers, and global trade partners. The process also provided harmonization between state and federal regulatory authorities that is vital,” Fairfield said.

Austin Therrell, executive director of AAFCO, agreed. "Our ingredient definition process has been a model of state-federal collaboration,” said Therrell. "We remain dedicated to ensuring standardization and safety in the animal food industry."

Both FDA and AAFCO assured stakeholders it will ensure a smooth transition. Further updates on the transition plan will be released by both organizations as they finalize details in the coming weeks.

Therrell said AAFCO remains devoted to working closely with the FDA and state regulatory bodies while FDA is reviewing its procedures for animal food ingredient reviews to streamline the approval process for new products.

The AFIA stated it’s committed to working with officials to ensure that any changes to the review processes provide clear requirements and timely, consistent reviews across state and federal jurisdictions.

Fairfield echoed support for continuing the important work the MOU sustained for 17 years.

“We look forward to engaging with both AAFCO and FDA regarding future ingredient approval processes that will support the U.S. animal food industry, facilitate innovation, ensure the safety and utility of ingredients, and protect public health,” Fairfield said.

AAFCO will cease accepting new feed ingredient definition requests on September 1 to allow sufficient time for processing final submissions to the FDA before the October expiration.