CHAMPAIGN, ILL. — The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) announced Aug. 2 that its Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will not be renewed following its expiration on Oct. 1. MOU 225-07-7001 outlines the organizations’ responsibilities for defining ingredients in animal feed and pet food and has been in place for 17 years.

“AAFCO believes that its ingredient definition process has been a shining example of successful collaboration and partnership between states and the federal government,” said Austin Therrell, executive director of AAFCO. “Although we are disappointed that the MOU is not being renewed, we are committed to being a conduit between the FDA and state regulatory programs, and to our work to provide standardization to the animal food industry.”

Through the MOU, the FDA accepted and reviewed AAFCO Feed Ingredient Definition requests and will continue to do so until the MOU expires later this year. AAFCO investigators will require about 30 days to prepare ingredient definition requests for the FDA, so the association will stop accepting requests on Sept. 1, in order to ensure all requests are submitted before the expiration. 

AAFCO and the FDA are independently establishing plans to provide a “seamless” transition on the ingredient review process. Additionally, the FDA is evaluating its animal food ingredient review authorities and processes to determine if changes are necessary in order to ensure new ingredients have a predictable path to market. Both associations expect to share details on their plans in the coming weeks.

“This decision opens the doors for AAFCO to look at new and innovative solutions in the ingredient space, and to seek out additional partners that can provide strong, science-based guidance to our state officials,” Therrell concluded. 

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