CVM to launch GRAS program for petfood

Starting late this summer, the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine is planning to allow animal ingredient suppliers to tap the Generally Recognized As Safe notification process, according to the April edition of the FDA’s Food Chemical News.
Commonly used food ingredients already qualify for the GRAS exemption managed by the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, but the feed industry wants to create a voluntary program to extend the GRAS process to animal feed ingredients.
The feed industry will get its wish, confirmed Sharon Benz, the CVM director of the animal feeds division, in an April 2 interview with Food Chemical News. The CVM is drafting a Federal Register notice that soon will announce the pilot’s launch, according to the article.
“This process will provide us with more information on the types of ingredients out there,” Benz said in the article. “We think there will be a lot of interest from petfoods.”

FDA issues guidance, bulletin on safety

The US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) issued guidance to the food industry advising manufacturers that peanuts and peanut-derived products used as petfood ingredients pose a risk of Salmonella contamination, according to a press release by CFSAN.
CFSAN also issued a companion bulletin to operators of food-service establishments and retail food stores that offer food products containing peanuts and peanut-derived ingredients.The FDA will accept public comments on the guidance, which along with the bulletin was posted March 9 on the FDA's website (Peanut-Derived Product Guidance and Peanut-Derived Product Bulletin).
Both are scheduled to be published soon in the Federal Register.