The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) is considering a proposal from Kansas State University’s Olathe Innovation Campus (K-State Olathe) to establish a new regulatory pathway for evaluating animal food ingredients, following the expiration of its long-standing partnership with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The proposed process would replace AAFCO’s previous Ingredient Definition Request pathway, which ended on October 1, 2024, when the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between AAFCO and the FDA was not renewed. The former review system had been in place for 17 years, and AAFCO is now exploring alternative options to streamline the approval of new animal feed ingredients.
“AAFCO has been considering a number of pathway options to provide the animal feed industry with a thorough and innovative review process that can bring new ingredients to market safely and efficiently,” said Austin Therrell, AAFCO’s executive director. “The proposal from K-State Olathe is scientifically driven, comprehensive, and can be completed in half the time as the former review process we had in place.”
The K-State Olathe proposal is designed to expedite the regulatory process by utilizing a scientific review panel composed of experts from universities across the U.S. and independent consultants to ensure diverse representation of all animal species. Led by Dr. Haley Larson, Ph.D., the panel would review ingredient submissions and provide recommendations to AAFCO membership for final approval. Approved ingredients would be published in AAFCO’s Official Publication, a key resource for feed ingredient compliance recognized by state and international regulatory agencies as well as the animal food industry.
With the sunsetting of the previous FDA partnership, the proposed pathway aims to maintain a rigorous scientific standard while reducing review times. AAFCO is seeking feedback from regulators and industry experts on the K-State Olathe proposal by October 31, 2024.
Stakeholders can submit comments in writing to AAFCO at [email protected], using the subject line “K-State Olathe Proposal Comment.”
