The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) is seeking feedback from pet food and animal feed professionals and other stakeholders on a new set of food items proposed for inclusion in its Common Food Index (CFI), a voluntary reference tool that helps standardize labeling and ingredient review across the animal food industry.
“Our intention in maintaining the Common Food Index is to aggregate historically safe items, with a broad consensus, that can serve as a trusted resource to animal food manufacturers and consumers,” said Austin Therrell, executive director of AAFCO. “To be clear, the CFI is not a substitute for the AAFCO process for new feed ingredient definitions, which remains clearly delineated in the Official Publication.”
The CFI includes foods that are commercially available, historically safe and appropriate for use in animal food, such as certain whole seeds, fruits, or vegetables. These ingredients are not defined through AAFCO’s formal feed ingredient process but may be used under certain conditions by manufacturers who ensure their safety and suitability.
A subcommittee of ingredient and label review experts assessed a range of submissions and narrowed the proposed additions to three commonly used ingredients. The public comment period is open to veterinarians, animal nutritionists, industry representatives, consumer groups, and other stakeholders.
Comments are due by Friday, May 23, 2025. For more details and to submit feedback, visit aafco.org.
