Top Takeaways for Today:
Black soldier fly larvae is now approved for use in adult dog foods with an official definition!
In 2025, corn gluten meal will be removed from the OP and replaced with corn protein meal. It is going in as a tentative definition, so don't make any packaging updates yet as not all states accept tentative definitions.
New human grade guidelines were passed
2022 AAFCO Annual Meeting
The 2022 AAFCO Annual Meeting was held August 4th - 6th in St. Louis, Missouri. Over 450 AAFCO committee members, FDA and industry met in person or virtually to discuss the agendas across the various meetings.
Business Meeting
A motion was passed to replace the current “Human Grade” Guidelines with the revised Guidelines for “Human Grade” Claims. The Human Grade feed term was added to Chapter 6 under “Feed Terms and Definitions”.
Pennyroyal American and Pennyroyal European were removed from table 87.30 (OP page 473) and will be listed in section 99 as withdrawn ingredients.
33.29 Black Soldier Fly Larvae Oil was published as a new Official Definition. T60.117(C) Dried Black Soldier Fly Larvae was published as an official definition to include adult dog food.
Model Bills & Regulations
“Labeling” workgroup is regrouping to continue discussions on how to best revise the labeling definition to eliminate confusion and include online media and websites as subject to state review. The term labeling means all labels and other written, printed or graphic matter materials issued by a guarantor or distributor (1) upon a commercial feed or any of its containers or wrapper or (2) accompanying or supporting such commercial feed. There is industry concern with the words “issued” and “supporting” and how these will be defined by the states.
Ingredient Definitions Committee
The subcommittee has drafted the final Common foods index procedures and it was accepted to be published in the AAFCO OP. The Common Food Index is currently published in AAFCO and located in Chapter 5. The procedures are a guidance document that can also be found on the AAFCO website. If a common food is rejected under the Common Food Index, it will need to be submitted via another route to obtain a definition.
Corn Gluten Meal is in the process of changing to Corn Protein Meal to accurately reflect the product (there is no gluten within the ingredient). In 2025, corn gluten meal will no longer be an acceptable ingredient name and labels will need to declare corn protein meal instead. Corn protein meal is currently a tentative definition, so labels should not be updated until the official definition has been voted on.
Similar to corn gluten meal; corn gluten feed, grain sorghum gluten feed and grain sorghum protein meal will all be eliminated from the OP in 2025. They will be replaced with corn protein feed, grain sorghum protein feed and grain sorghum protein meal, respectively.
A new tentative definition for xanthan gum will be published to include a new use as a suspending agent in plant inoculant products. Previous official definition remains, no change for use in canned dog and cat foods.
Hempseed Meal (previously cake) submission for laying hens was returned to the submitting company because FDA has further questions. There is no approval for any hemp ingredient in animal food at this time.
There is a new tentative definition for low glucosinolate high erucic acid rapeseed meal, mechanically extracted. It can be used in the diets of animals as a source of protein not to exceed 5% inclusion. The label name will be low glucosinolate high erucic acid rapeseed meal.
Pet Food Committee
Human Grade Guidelines workgroup are continuing work on the AMS audit, which is the final portion of the guidelines. This will allow industry to utilize the audit process instead of submitting varying documents to every state. PFC will submit to the board for a September vote.
Copper Work Group report was accepted, however, it is an expert subcommittee, and the report is not public. The background surrounding this work group creation includes a February Viewpoint article published in the JAVMA indicated that the authors believed increased incidence of copper-associated hepatopathy in dogs was due to change in the type of copper used in premixes. The authors suggested that AAFCO consider reinstating a maximum value and to lower the minimum to 0.9 and create a maximum level of 1.1 mg/1000 kcal. The workgroup was formed to consider the matter. The workgroup is waiting on long-term feeding trials from industry. At present, it does not appear that the data supports such a drastic reduction and tightening the range.