On Thursday, February 9, 2023, the CVM will host a virtual public meeting on the FDA’s role in the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) feed ingredient definition process. Stakeholders interested in attending can register here: https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/workshops-conferences-meetings/cvm-virtual-public-meeting-fda-and-aafco-animal-feed-ingredient-definition-process-02092023
The AAFCO process is a well-established route for gaining market acceptance for new feed ingredients and operates under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the FDA and AAFCO. It is particularly well-suited to ingredients of relatively low toxicity. For ingredients with multiple manufacturers, it is advisable to work together to develop an ingredient definition that adequately captures the products that will be marketed. The FDA can only evaluate the information submitted and therefore, any company not submitting information can’t then contribute to the parameters defined within the ingredient definition. In terms of the information required, it is of the same quantity and quality as a food additive or GRAS notification with the exception that generally the ingredient is of lower toxicity concern and therefore, less studies in theory are required to establish safety. There is no requirement for information to be published and AAFCO does not publish a list of ingredients under review (although this is under discussion).
At the virtual event, the FDA plans to present on the FDA-AAFCO relationship and to discuss potential changes to the approach currently taken. AAFCO will also present at the meeting and stakeholders will have the opportunity to share feedback either verbally or by submitting written comments to the docket.