AAFCO’s animal food ingredient program accepting submissions

CHAMPAIGN, ILL. — The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) announced Oct. 8 that the new Scientific Review of Ingredient Submissions (SRIS) is now accepting applications for new animal food ingredient definitions, as well as modifications to existing definitions. 

The new program replaces AAFCO’s former Ingredient Definition Request process that was formed in partnership with the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA). This process expired on Oct. 1, 2024, after the FDA decided not to renew its Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with AAFCO. Following this, AAFCO teamed up with Kansas State University’s Olathe Innovation Campus (K-State Olathe) to create the SRIS program.

The new program, led in partnership with K-State Olathe, is offering three different submission levels: Basic Scientific Review, Full Submission Package and an Expanded Submission Package. 

Submissions for the program may be for a new pet food or livestock ingredient or modification to an existing ingredient. Ingredients for submission must either provide nutrition, flavor or aroma for an animal or offer some technical effect in the feed. Additionally, the ingredient submissions should be:

• Non-proprietary to not favor one ingredient manufacturer over another
• A single ingredient and not a combination
• Include an intended use that does not mitigate, treat or diagnose disease, but may prevent nutritional deficiency

For new ingredient submissions, the ingredient should not be included in the current list of ingredients in the AAFCO Official Publication. 

The AAFCO and SRIS team, led by Hayley Larson, Ph.D., assistant professor of animal health at K-State Olathe, and Garrett Ashabranner, Ph.D., program manager of the SRIS process, will evaluate initial submissions based on the ingredients’ intended use, the animal species and the potential impact it may have on human food products, and then assign it a submission package level. 

Based on the evaluation, an expert review panel will then investigate the safety and intended use of the ingredient and provide AAFCO membership with a recommendation. The expert review panels will be comprised of two to five subject matter experts with a range of experience in ingredients, chemistry, manufacturing technologies, human food safety, animal nutrition and more. Panelists will be drawn from a pool to ensure balanced expertise, maintain independence and help avoid conflicts of interest. 

“The collaborative effort between AAFCO and K-State Olathe offers a time efficient scientific assessment of the safety of animal food ingredients,” Larson said. “We have successfully recruited a group of key thought leaders representing all aspects of the animal nutrition field. These industry experts are a critical piece of how SRIS will uphold rigorous safety and scientific standards, while meeting the industry’s demand for timely review of new ingredients.”

AAFCO membership will provide final approval on the ingredient. Once approved, the ingredient definition will be added to AAFCO’s Official Publication. 

According to AAFCO, the SRIS process is based off the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) current Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) program. The SRIS program aims to provide the pet food and animal feed industry with an additional pathway for introducing innovative products to the market. It is also the only regulatory process that provides a formal review of animal food ingredient definitions that neither the FDA’s GRAS or Food Additive Petition (FAP) processes provide.

Additionally, due to the fact that the SRIS program is not affiliated with a federal agency, it will not be impacted by the current US government shutdown.

“The SRIS program demonstrates that thoroughness and efficiency can come together without compromising safety standards or scientific integrity,” said Austin Therrell, executive director of AAFCO. “Unlike the federal processes, SRIS’ 60 to 90-day review clock will stop and start when dialogue or answers are needed without restarting the review time from the beginning.”

Initial inquires on the SRIS program can be sent to [email protected]. Learn more about the SRIS program here.

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