State feed regulation programs are encouraged to adopt the recommended changes to pet food labels.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill., Feb. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Agriculture department heads unanimously voted to support the revised Association of American Feed Control Officials’ (AAFCO) Model Regulations for Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food. The vote took place on Wednesday, February 7, 2024at the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) Winter Policy Conference at Washington DC
NASDA encouraged state feed regulatory programs with pet food regulatory authority to quickly and uniformly adopt AAFCO Model Regulations for Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food while respecting individual state legal authorities and regulatory processes. The organization also encouraged feed regulatory programs to work with pet food manufacturers and distributors within their states to comply with the six-year transition window outlined by AAFCO.
“NASDA members vote to support revised AAFCO Model Regulations for Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food emphasizing the importance of collaboration and innovation to safeguard animal health,” said Austin Therrell, executive director of AAFCO. “AAFCO is here to be a partner and resource for state regulatory programs as they move forward to adopt Model Regulations that will improve transparency and provide clearer information on pet food packaging.”
The modified Model Regulations for Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food is approved by AAFCO in July 2023, and set new proposed labeling guidelines around nutrition information, ingredient statements, and storage and handling instructions to ensure consistency and transparency in pet food labels. AAFCO also recommends a six-year implementation discretion period to allow state regulatory programs to incorporate the guidelines into their state laws and pet food manufacturers to make the necessary updates. on the label and packaging on their products. Both AAFCO and NASDA encourage state regulators to allow the distribution and sale of pet food products that comply with either existing state pet food regulations or the new model regulations within six that year.
AAFCO and key stakeholders have worked together since 2015 — conducting multiple rounds of consumer research and gathering feedback from pet food manufacturers and industry partners to understand how food labels can better communicate important information — to develop revised Pet Food Model Regulations and state enforcement guidelines.
About NASDA
The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit association representing elected and appointed commissioners, secretaries and directors of departments of agriculture in all 50 states and four US territories. NASDA strengthens America’s food and agriculture communities through policy, partnerships and public relations. To learn more about NASDA, please visit www.nasda.org.
About AAFCO
The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) has been guiding state, federal and international feed regulators with ingredient definitions, labeling standards and laboratory standards for more than 110 years, while supporting the health and safety of people and animals. Its members are charged by their state or federal laws to regulate the manufacture, sale and distribution of animal feed and feed ingredients. AAFCO is an affiliate of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture. Learn more at aafco.org.
SOURCE Association of American Feed Control Officials
