As of Oct. 1, the FDA’s and AAFCO’s longstanding memorandum of understanding for reviewing new animal food ingredients officially ended, removing one of three regulatory review systems currently utilized by animal food innovators when bringing new products to market. The move on how the FDA would treat ingredients previously approved through AAFCO, rather than the FDA’s Generally Recognized as Safe or Food Additive Petition processes. The FDA’s guidance acknowledged that it would not take enforcement action against manufacturers that use ingredients listed in the 2024 AAFCO Official Publication, provided they remain safe for the intended species, are used according to their intended uses, specifications and limitations, and are listed under the official common and usual names chapter of the AAFCO Official Publication.
Given that animal food innovators could submit ingredients for review up until Sept. 1, 2024, there are many ingredients still awaiting review through the AAFCO review process, a process that lasts several months to years. The U.S. animal food industry encourages the FDA to update its guidance annually to accept future editions of the AAFCO Official Publication to be inclusive of all ingredients that have utilized this pathway. |