The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) is a non-profit organization which sets standards for the quality and safety of animal feed (

fodder Fodder (), also called provender (), is any agriculture, agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock, such as cattle, domestic rabbit, rabbits, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. "Fodder" refers particularly to food g ...

) and

pet food Pet food is animal feed intended for consumption by pets. Typically sold in pet stores and supermarkets, it is usually specific to the type of animal, such as dog food or cat food. Most meat used for animals is a byproduct of the human food indu ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. AAFCO is a voluntary organization consisting largely of state officials who have responsibility for enforcing their state's laws and regulations concerning the safety of animal feeds. AAFCO also establishes standard ingredient definitions and nutritional requirements for animal feed/pet food. Most states have adopted the AAFCO models or use them in the regulation of animal feed/pet food. AAFCO meets twice yearly, typically in January and August, so that committees and the board of directors can conduct the organization's business of assessing the need for changes to the Model Bill, model regulations, ingredient definitions, etc. Once per year the latest version of all AAFCO-approved documents are printed in the organization's Official Publication. Its voting members are representatives from each state in the United States, and from

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, the

U.S. Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food s ...

(FDA) and the

U.S. Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

. Additionally, there are non-voting advisors on each AAFCO committee who are mainly from industry, such as the

National Grain and Feed Association National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

Pet Food Institute A pet, or companion animal, is an animal kept primarily for a person's company or entertainment rather than as a working animal, livestock, or a laboratory animal. Popular pets are often considered to have attractive appearances, intelligence, ...

, and

American Feed Industry Association The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) is a not-for-profit organization that represents the feed industry in industry-wide events, national and state legislation, etc. Members of the AFIA include livestock feed manufacturers, ingredient supp ...

. AAFCO meets twice per year, in January and August, to conduct its business. Unlike the FDA, AAFCO has no regulatory authority. However, AAFCO members have enforcement authority in their respective state or federal agency. The AAFCO model regulations on feed ingredients have been adopted by many states; other states have adopted similar regulations. In 2007, the

Center for Veterinary Medicine The Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) is a branch of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that regulates the manufacture and distribution of food, food additives, and drugs that will be given to animals. These include animals from which ...

at the FDA formalized its relationship with AAFCO in identifying feed ingredients.FDA, AAFCO sign agreement on feed ingredient listing
FDA, Center for Veterinary Medicine. Retrieved 2010-07-22.

Official publication

The AAFCO official publication contains the latest version of all AAFCO-approved documents. It has been criticized for being too expensive for pet food consumers to access, and by the FDA's legal advisor team for referring to a non-federal document. The publication is available in book form and, since 2013, an online browsable form.

References

Sources

Further information

Official site
Non-profit organizations based in Illinois {{US-company-stub