Animal Food Ingredient Consultation; Draft Guidance for Industry; Availability

Résumé

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing the availability of draft guidance for industry #294 entitled "Animal Food Ingredient Consultation (AFIC)." This draft guidance describes FDA's interim AFIC process and explains one way FDA intends to work with firms that are developing animal food ingredients after the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) expires on October 1, 2024, and while FDA evaluates the animal Food Additive Petition and generally recognized as safe (GRAS) Notification programs. The new AFIC process will provide an additional way for engagement with FDA regarding ingredients for which firms may otherwise have used the AAFCO ingredient definition process. AFIC will help FDA identify any potential safety concerns associated with such ingredients. The AFIC process will also allow for public awareness of and input on such ingredients. In addition, this draft guidance describes FDA's enforcement policy for certain ingredients assessed using the AFIC process.