On September 30, 2022, the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) announced that their Pet Food Committee was proposing substantial changes to their Model Regulations to update how ingredients, nutrition information, safe handling, and nutritional adequacy statements should be presented on pet food. One of the most significant proposed changes is the display of a “Pet Nutrition Facts” box, replacing the previous Guaranteed Analysis statement that has generally appeared on pet food labels to date.

With a global market size valued at USD 115.50 billion in 2022, the pet food industry will experience significant shifts in the way pet food products are labeled and regulated if the proposed changes are adopted.

FDA and AAFCO

At the federal level, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for assuring that animal foods sold in the U.S. are safe and properly labeled. Within FDA, the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) is responsible for the regulation of animal drugs, medicated feeds, food additives, and feed ingredients.

AAFCO is a voluntary membership organization of U.S. state and federal government agencies, as well as government agencies from other countries, responsible for the execution of laws and regulations pertaining to the production, labeling, distribution, use, and/or sale of animal feed and feed ingredients.

FDA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with AAFCO that allows FDA to formally recognize the Association’s list of feed ingredients and definitions and defines the role FDA can play in deciding on the suitability of feed ingredients offered for addition to the list. FDA cooperates with AAFCO for the implementation of uniform policies for regulating the use of animal feed products.

Proposed Changes to Model Regulations

The AAFCO Official Publication (OP) maintains a list of ingredients for which it has established a common name and accepts petitions for new feed ingredients with FDA’s assistance. Animal feed products are also subject to individual state laws.

As part of the OP, AAFCO proposes a “Model Bill” that includes Model Regulations for labeling that individual states can choose to adopt under their own state feed laws. These pet food label requirements may be obtained from the individual states where the products will be distributed or from the AAFCO OP.

AAFCO has invited industry partners to submit written comments for the proposed draft Model Pet Food Regulations to [email protected] by October 31, 2022. AAFCO plans to review comments and produce a final draft, to be put to a formal vote in 2023.

Industry should review the proposed changes as they may impact an enormous number of pet food products being marketed in the U.S.