NGFA seeks to change proposed rule on petfood, animal feed

The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) during a recent public meeting urged the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make significant changes to its proposed rule that would establish for petfood and animal feed new requirements for current good manufacturing practices (CGMPs) and hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls.
The FDA conducted the public meeting to receive stakeholder feedback on four major re-proposed rules associated with its implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The four re-proposed rules address produce safety, CGMPS and preventive controls for human food, CGMPs and preventive controls for petfood and animal feed, and foreign supplier verification programs.
The FDA issued the reproposed animal feed rule on Sept. 29, 2014 to provide the agency's current thinking on requirements after its review of comments received in response to its original proposal issued in 2013. The NGFA submitted extensive comments on the 2013 proposal, and recommended that FDA make major changes and re-propose the rule for additional stakeholder comment given the very significant nature of the regulations, and the extent of changes recommended by the NGFA and other stakeholders.
During the public meeting, Max Fisher, NGFA director of economics and government relations, said he commended FDA for re-proposing the rule and allowing additional comment. But Fisher said the NGFA remains concerned that "many of the proposed CGMP provisions continue to mirror those established for human food, and do not reflect the realities associated with feeding animals, nor are they necessary to assure the safety of feed products."
In prior statements to FDA, the NGFA has urged the agency to develop final requirements that are practical, achievable and serve to benefit the safety of petfood and animal feed. In doing so, the NGFA has cautioned that adding unnecessary regulatory burdens and costs would undermine the industry's ability to serve the animal agriculture industry and divert finite resources away from effective practices that already are assuring a safe and abundant supply of petfood and feed.
"The NGFA requests that FDA carefully consider the economic impact of its proposed requirements and weigh the extensive costs against anticipated benefits, which the agency has yet to quantify," said Fisher. The NGFA's economic analysis of FDA's original proposal indicated the requirements would cost petfood and animal feed facilities more than US$500 million annually—approximately four times more than estimated by FDA.

Petfood, feed industries seek extended comment period on CGMPs proposed rule

The Pet Food Institute (PFI), the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA), the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) and the National Renderers Association (NRA) on March 4 submitted an official request to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to extend the comment period for its proposed rule on Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Food for Animals to give petfood, animal feed and feed ingredient companies more time to review and develop comments on this major proposed regulation.

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The request seeks an additional 90 days to prepare comments on the issues raised by the proposed rule. The groups wish to extend the comment period to June 30.
"We have been working diligently to analyze the proposed rule and prepare meaningful comments that address all of the issues raised for all segments of the feed industry, but we need additional time to complete this massive undertaking," said the groups in their request. "At the same time, we are working to analyze and respond to other FDA proposed rules and initiatives such as the proposed rule on sanitary transportation of food and the draft approach to designation of high-risk foods."

AAFCO opens registration for 2014 Midyear Meeting

The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) has opened registration for its 2014 Midyear Meeting, planned for January 8-10, 2014, at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. 
The meeting will provide an opportunity for one-on-one conversations and networking with Control Officials, industry representatives and others interested in working together on animal feed and petfood issues. 
More information on how to register and book hotel reservations is available at 

www.aafco.org/Meetings/MidyearMeetings/2014.aspx. Hotel reservations are due by December 4. Early registration is due by December 8. Please contact Jennifer Roland with questions at +1.217.356.4221 or email jenniferr@assochq.org. 

North Dakota seeks pet food manufacturer comments on feed law

The Agriculture Department of North Dakota, USA, has scheduled public meetings around the state in January 2012 to gather comments and suggestions regarding the state's regulation of animal feed. Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring says the department is reviewing its feed regulation program to determine if it meets the needs of today's industry, and welcomes comment from anyone from animal feed manufacturers to pet food manufacturers and retailers.
The afternoon meetings begin January 9, 2012, in Bismarck, North Dakota, USA, and end on January 17, 2012, in Valley City, North Dakota, USA. A full schedule can be found at online. 

AFIA, FEFANA members discuss feed regulations

Marking the two-year anniversary of the International Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program, representatives from the EU Association of Specialty Feed Ingredients and their Mixtures, FEFANA, met with members of the American Feed Industry Association in Arlington, Virginia, USA, to discuss new feed regulation developments.

FEFANA's Feed Additives and Premixtures Quality System, FAMI-QS, and AFIA's International Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program are covered by the same rules and scope under FEFANA's Guide to Good Practice. The week-long meeting served as an opportunity for representatives to discuss changes to the programs as well as a training opportunity for US feed-facility auditors from Eurofins Scientific Inc. The training allows auditors to maintain compliance with the standards and inspect US facilities for compliance with the EU standards.  
“The basis for a program to be successful and recognized worldwide is to develop a program that helps facilities provide a safe product and then audit everyone to the same safety level," said Keith Epperson, AFIA’s vice president of manufacturing and training. "Training auditors worldwide is a key focus of FEFANA and ensures everyone certified in the program meets the same code.”

AFIA calls for FDA revision of Reportable Food Registry

The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to revise its Draft Guidance for Industry on its Reportable Food Registry to ensure the registry legally recognizes standard commercial feed industry practices for ensuring the safety of its ingredients. Further, AFIA said FDA must establish regulations for when actions taken to ensure human food safety should be applied to animal feeds.
Under current requirements of FDA Amendments Act of 2007, the Reportable Food Registry requires the reporting of any food, feed, ingredient or petfood deemed reasonably likely to cause serious adverse health effects or death in humans or animals. AFIA asked FDA to revise its draft guidance to include the following: “No reportable food report is required if a load of incoming product has been sampled, but legal transfer has not occurred, provided the trailer is on the premises of your facility only for as long as is necessary to sample, test and reject the shipment, and no longer. Your facility has not ‘held’ the reportable food. Therefore, you are not a ‘responsible party’ with regard to such food.”
AFIA Vice President Richard Sellers also asked for clarification of FDA’s definition of “reportable food.” The phrase, “…will cause serious adverse health consequences to humans or animals” in the current definition and FDA attempts to explain it, “leave many questions unanswered and may be subject to misinterpretation,” said Sellers.