The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) expressed its disappointment over the recent announcements by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) that they will be ending their longstanding relationship for the review of new animal food ingredients on Oct. 1. This partnership has been critical in ensuring the safety and confidence of U.S. animal food products across the food chain, a key concern for both domestic and international customers.
AFIA's president and CEO, Constance Cullman, stated: "AFIA's members are disheartened that the FDA will end its partnership with AAFCO, which for decades has ensured the regulatory review of animal food products is efficient, predictable, and functional. In the United States, it takes an average of three to five years and $600,000 per ingredient before animal food innovators gain the approvals they need to sell and use their products in diets for domestic livestock and pets. Our members are concerned that uncertainty in the regulatory review processes brought about by today's announcements will only increase those figures, making the U.S. animal ingredient marketplace an unattractive place to do business.
"The AFIA will continue working with the FDA and AAFCO on next steps to ensure any proposed changes to the current review processes bring about clear requirements for members and some sense that new ingredients will be reviewed in a timely and consistent manner across state and federal jurisdictions."
Since its inception in 1909, the AFIA has witnessed the development of individual state feed laws. AAFCO was formed to harmonize and unify feed legislation and regulations between the states and work with federal officials regulating feeds shipped in interstate commerce. In the 1950s, the FDA and AAFCO began collaborating on reviewing new ingredients, a process formalized in a 2007 memorandum of understanding, which clarified the roles and responsibilities of both parties and streamlined the regulatory process for ingredient innovators.
With the dissolution of this partnership, there is concern that undue pressure may be placed on the remaining regulatory pathways, potentially leading to increased costs and delays. The AFIA is committed to collaborating with both the FDA and AAFCO to prevent these unintended consequences and maintain a conducive environment for innovation in the U.S. animal food industry.
For further details, see the announcements from FDA and AAFCO.
