David A. Dzanis, DVM, Ph.D., DACVN.Dr. Dzanis is a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and CEO of Regulatory Discretion Inc. He is also the author of Petfood Industry magazine's monthly column, "Petfood Insights."From the Author - Page 13Pet Food RegulationsPetfood safety: US state legislatures chime inIn addition to new federal laws such as the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007, a number of state legislative bodies have reacted to last year's petfood recalls. They have introduced several new proposals, primarily concerned with recovery of damages by persons whose pets are injured by adulterated petfoods. A few of the proposals add new responsibilities for petfood companies in terms of manufacturing or labeling requirements.Pet Food RegulationsAAFCO moves toward calorie statementsFans of the band Asleep at the Wheel are likely familiar with its version of the song "Across the Alley from the Alamo" (much older folks will remember it as a Mills Brothers song). In the case of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) January mid-year meeting in San Antonio, Texas, USA, it was right across the street from the Alamo. In the shadow of this symbol of perseverance in times of adversity, AAFCO deliberated on petfood regulatory matters.Pet Food RegulationsRecall update: regulatory changesThe events surrounding the contamination of petfoods and subsequent animal deaths in spring 2007 have focused public attention on how these products are regulated in the US. Clearly, the bulk of the regulatory activity in 2007 focused on manufacturing and ingredient safety rather than labeling matters, a pattern likely to be continued this year.Pet Food RegulationsFDA, AAFCO sign feed ingredient agreementThe US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) and the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) have recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) concerning the process by which AAFCO Feed Ingredient Definitions, including those intended for use in petfoods, are established, modified or removed. This document seems to be a first step toward CVM's formal recognition of AAFCO's list of defined ingredients.Pet Food RegulationsNew US federal law to affect petfoodsWe are beginning to see results of the US congressional inquiries made last spring on the petfood recalls. In fact, both houses of Congress have proposed a host of new legislation in recent months, all related to food safety, imports and/or recall authority.Pet Food RegulationsAAFCO news, part 2Last month, I reported on some of the Dual declarations and pertinent happenings from the annual meeting of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), held in August. This month includes news from other AAFCO committees that may affect the petfood industry.ProductionNews from the annual AAFCO meetingAt its annual meeting in August, the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) rejected a label statement policy, exempted snouts from labeling requirements and clarified policy on various ingredientsNutritionHow will canine weight loss drug affect our market?Successful weight maintenance benefits not only the dog and its owner but ultimately the petfood industry as a wholePet Food RegulationsFDA provides more details on AFSSIn May in Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA, the Center for Veterinary Medicine in the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) held a public meeting to present progress on its development of the Animal Feed Safety System (AFSS). I saw a mention of the meeting in the popular press that presumed it was convened in response to the recent petfood recalls.Pet Food RegulationsBiofuel co-products: do they have a place in petfoods?The development of alternatives to fossil fuels in meeting the United States' energy needs truly is a commendable goal. Both biodiesel and ethanol have great potential in this regard, and the energy industry is rapidly expanding production of both products. However, this increased production is accompanied by the increased generation of co-products.Pet Food RegulationsPersonal memories of Drs. Kronfeld, Morris and CorbinI'm not a believer in the adage "bad things come in threes." However, that old saying appears true in this case. Three men, all highly influential in the field of pet nutrition, passed away over the course of only the last few months.NutritionUpdate on the AAFCO mid-year meetingThe mid-year meeting is when most of the committees finalize their proposals to go before the boardPrevious PagePage 13 of 15Next Page