Pathway to Approval
New Ingredient Definition
In the US, new feed approval is managed by the Association for Animal Feed Control Officials or AAFCO and the Food and Drug Administration-Center for Veterinary Medicine or FDA-CVM. There are currently two processes by which a new feed can be approved. One is a New Ingredient Definition and the other is a Feed Additive Petition. The Hemp Feed Coalition has pursued the approval hemp feed through a New Ingredient Definition, but applications are limited by both ingredient and species. Ultimately, these are involved processes that require copious research and data.
The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) has been guiding state, federal and international feed regulators with ingredient definitions, label standards and laboratory standards for more than 110 years, while supporting the health and safety of people and animals. Our members are charged by their state or federal laws to regulate the manufacture, sale, and distribution of animal feeds and animal drug remedies.
The mission statement for FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) reads, “Protecting Human and Animal Health.” To achieve this broad mission, CVM:
- Ensures animal drugs are safe and effective, properly made, and adequately labeled and packaged.
- Ensures that when food-producing animals, such as cattle and chickens, are treated with an animal drug, food made from those animals, such as meat, milk, and eggs, are safe for people to eat.
- Educates pet owners, animal producers, veterinarians, and the animal health industry about the products we regulate.
