The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) has expressed support for the Innovative Feed Enhancement and Economic Development (Innovative FEED) Act introduced in the US House of Representatives. The bill aims to streamline the regulatory process for animal food ingredients by shifting certain ingredients from the costly animal drug review process to the Food Additive Petition (FAP) pathway.
Currently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates certain new animal food ingredients under the animal drug review process, which the AFIA argues is inefficient and outdated. The Innovative FEED Act seeks to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, enabling the FDA to review these ingredients through the FAP process. This change would improve transparency in labelling and marketing, allowing animal food products to be promoted based on their benefits, such as enhanced livestock production, improved pet wellness, and reduced environmental impact.
AFIA President and CEO Constance Cullman praised the bill, stating that it would address a broken regulatory system that has pushed US animal food innovators to seek foreign markets. She urged the Senate to introduce a companion bill to help modernise the regulatory framework and promote advancements in animal nutrition.
The Innovative FEED Act has bipartisan support from Representatives Nick Langworthy, Kim Schrier, Jim Baird, Chellie Pingree, Erin Houchin, and Jim Costa, and is endorsed by organisations including the National Milk Producers Federation and US Poultry & Egg Association.