---

---

On This Page:

• Background
• Public Meeting Information
• Registration
• Requests for Oral Presentations
• Submitting Electronic or Written Comments
• Recording and Transcript

Background

On Thursday, February 9, 2023, FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) will host a virtual public meeting on FDA’s role in the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) feed ingredient definition process.

FDA regulates food for animals, such as livestock and pets, including ingredients used in animal food. As part of FDA’s regulatory responsibilities, the agency reviews the safety of new or modified animal food ingredients. These reviews may be in response to food additive petitions, color additive petitions, or generally recognized as safe (GRAS) notices, or the commissioner on their own initiative may propose an animal food additive or color additive regulation or establish a GRAS affirmation.

In addition, FDA provides scientific and technical advice on the suitability of new or modified ingredients to support the AAFCO feed ingredient definition process, which establishes and publishes AAFCO definitions for ingredients used in animal food. FDA provides advice and concurrence as outlined in an FDA-AAFCO memorandum of understanding (MOU) that defines the responsibilities of both entities in handling new AAFCO feed ingredient requests.

AAFCO is a group of state, federal, and international regulatory officials that partner to support uniform animal food regulatory systems. AAFCO provides model laws and regulations that nearly all states have adopted as the basis for their animal food regulatory programs. AAFCO’s ingredient definitions are not federal regulations and do not have the force or effect of federal law. However, most states incorporate the ingredients listed in the AAFCO OP into their state laws, so the AAFCO feed ingredient definitions facilitate the interstate marketing of animal food ingredients. 

Public Meeting Information

FDA plans to present on the FDA-AAFCO relationship, explain the FDA-AAFCO Memorandum of Understanding, and discuss potential changes to FDA’s approach to its consultations in support of the AAFCO feed ingredient definition process. AAFCO will present information about its organization and how it works with FDA. 

The majority of the meeting time will be dedicated to giving stakeholders an opportunity to share constructive feedback and suggestions with FDA as the agency looks to improve its role in the AAFCO feed ingredient definition process. Such feedback and suggestions can also be submitted as written comments to the docket.

Stakeholder presentations or written comments should be limited to addressing one or more of the following questions:

1. What steps can FDA take to improve stakeholder understanding of FDA’s engagement in AAFCO’s feed ingredient definition process and better communicate this information with the public? 
2. What changes to FDA’s role in AAFCO’s feed ingredient definition process would be helpful to stakeholders and why?
3. If FDA made a list of AAFCO feed ingredient definition requests publicly available, where would stakeholders prefer to find such a list and what information would stakeholders like to see with such a list? 
4. What do stakeholders view as successful or valuable in FDA’s continued participation as the scientific reviewers for new AAFCO feed ingredient definitions?

The purpose of this meeting is to specifically look at how to improve FDA’s role in the AAFCO feed ingredient definition process and how FDA could gather stakeholder input on the safety of each pending ingredient definition. The meeting will not address other aspects of animal food regulation.

Following the meeting and after all public comments have been considered, FDA intends to evaluate the existing FDA/AAFCO MOU, possibly amend CPG 665.100 Common or Usual Names for Animal Feed Ingredients, and/or make other adjustments to better serve stakeholders. 

An agenda will be added to this page no later than February 2, 2023. 

Registration

Stakeholders interested in attending this virtual public meeting should register by completing this form: Registration: CVM Virtual Public Meeting on FDA’s Role in the AAFCO Animal Feed Ingredient Definition Process. Early registration is recommended. Those who register will receive a confirmation email with the webcast link and passcode (if a confirmation email is not received, be sure to check your spam folder). It is recommended that registrants save this email as it contains individualized event login information, and no meeting reminders will be sent. Registrants should not share their meeting link as it is specific to the individual who registered.

Requests for Oral Presentations

On the registration form, you may indicate if you wish to make an oral presentation about FDA’s role in the AAFCO Ingredient Definition Process during the virtual public meeting. Individuals and organizations with common interests are urged to consolidate or coordinate their presentations, and request time for a joint presentation, or submit requests for designated representatives to participate. If you want to present but know you will be unable to participate live during the event or if you have other questions, please email [email protected]. All requests to make oral presentations must be received by January 12, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. ET. FDA will do its best to accommodate all requests to make oral presentations that are received by the deadline.

Based on the number of presentation requests, FDA will determine the amount of time allotted to each presenter and the approximate time each oral presentation is to begin. FDA will provide presenters with this information along with additional instructions, including the deadline to submit presentation slides (if applicable) by February 1, 2023. 

No commercial or promotional material will be permitted to be presented or discussed during the public meeting.

Submitting Electronic or Written Comments

FDA is accepting electronic or written comments on this topic until March 9, 2023.

To electronically submit comments to the docket, visit regulations.gov and type FDA-2022-N-3122 in the search box. For assistance in submitting electronic comments, please see regulations.gov/help. Comments submitted electronically, including attachments, to regulations.gov will be posted to the docket unchanged. Because your comment will be made public, you are solely responsible for ensuring that your comment does not include any confidential information that you or a third party may not wish to be posted, such as medical information, your or anyone else’s Social Security number, or confidential business information, such as a manufacturing process. Please note that if you include your name, contact information, or other information that identifies you in the body of your comments, that information will be posted on regulations.gov. 

To submit a comment with confidential information that you do not wish to be made publicly available, submit your comments only as a written/paper submission. You should submit two copies total. One copy will include the information you claim to be confidential with a heading or cover note that states “THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION.” The Agency will review this copy, including the claimed confidential information, in its consideration of comments. The second copy, which will have the claimed confidential information redacted/blacked out, will be available for public viewing and posted on regulations.gov. Submit both copies to the Dockets Management Staff. If you do not wish your name and contact information to be made publicly available, you can provide this information on the cover sheet and not in the body of your comments and you must identify this information as “confidential.”  Any information marked as “confidential” will not be disclosed except in accordance with 21 CFR 10.20 and other applicable disclosure law. For more information about FDA's posting of comments to public dockets, see 80 FR 56469, September 18, 2015.

For access to the docket to read the electronic and written/paper comments received, go to regulations.gov and insert the docket number, FDA-2022-N-3122, into the “Search” box and follow the prompts.

Recording and Transcript

The FDA plans to make a recording and transcript of this public meeting available to the public. Please be advised that by participating in the public meeting, you are putting yourself, your comments, and any presentation materials into the public domain.