Last week, FEDIAF EuropeanPetFood held its Annual Congress and AGM at the Sofitel Hotel in Warsaw, Poland. The event, attended by over 100 members and guests from 15 trade associations representing 18 countries in Europe, emphasized the crucial role of protecting key pet food ingredients, including feed additives, essential for nourishing Europe’s 352 million pets.
The Congress began with welcoming remarks from FEDIAF’s President, Rosa Carbonell, and Secretary General, Sonia Franck. Marta Koncewicz and Pawel Mackiewicz from Poland’s General Veterinary Inspectorate provided a warm welcome to Poland and offered valuable insights into potential enhancements to the authorization process. Paola Ferraro, legislative officer DG SANTE, Food Hygiene, Feed, and Fraud, European Commission, outlined the 'risk management' process, while Joerg Seifert, secretary general of FEFANA (the EU Association of Specialty Feed Ingredients and their Mixtures), shared his perspectives on the future of the reauthorization process.
Representatives from EFSA (European Food Safety Authority), including Matteo Innocente, scientific officer of the FEEDCO Unit, and Oscar Gonzalez, scientific coordinator of the FDP Unit, provided essential guidance on their services, submission procedures and renewal processes.
Following the presentations, an engaging Q&A session moderated by Matt Elliot, regulatory affairs manager at Mars Petcare Europe and chair of FEDIAF’s Additives Working Group, allowed attendees to delve deeper into the discussed topics.
Reflecting on the event, Rosa Carbonell, FEDIAF’s president, stated, “It was an enlightening afternoon with fantastic speakers, and the interactive Q&A session highlighted the importance of safeguarding pet food ingredients for the future. In the pet food industry, feed additives play a critical role, underscoring the necessity of an easily navigable authorization process to ensure the production of safe, balanced food for Europe's 352 million pets.”
Jean Grunenwald, chairman of the management board of POLKARMA, the host of the event in Poland, concluded the Annual Congress with a presentation featuring invaluable insights and top tips for the guests.
In closing, Rosa Carbonell thanked the FEDIAF speakers, members, and guests, saying, “The FEDIAF Annual Congress has been a fitting conclusion to my second year as President. I look forward to tackling the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in the coming year. I encourage everyone to review FEDIAF’s Annual Report and learn about the critical work undertaken to safeguard and advance the European Pet Food Industry--and more.”
