Petfood Insights
David A. Dzanis, DVM, PhD, DACVN
Get more Read more “Petfood Insights” columns by Dr. Dzanis online at http://www.petfoodindustry.com/ ListArticles.spx?FolderID=1030.
Petfood news from FDA
MANY IN THE industry have been eagerly waiting for news from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on a variety of petfood-related matters: As this issue goes to press, there has been nothing publicly proposed regarding new federal regulations for petfood labeling as mandated by the FDA Amendments Act of 2007
(FDAAA);
It is hoped the pilot program to
accept GRAS (generally recognized
as safe) notifications for petfood
ingredients will begin soon; and
Guidance documents regarding
“therapeutic diets” (for lack of a
better term at this time) and use of
glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate
in pet products still appear on FDA’s
“under development” list.
Despite the lack of news on those
issues, FDA has announced several
items on its website that affect petfood.
While we’re waiting
for word on key
issues, FDA has
recently made some
petfood-related
announcements.
PET HEALTH AND SAFETY WIDGET: FDA has
developed a computer application that interested
parties are free to install on their websites to display
information directly from the agency. According
to FDA, all that is required to accomplish this is to
copy the html code from FDA’s website and paste
it on your own homepage or blog. No maintenance
is required; once installed, FDA will update the
content automatically.
Once the widget appears on your website, the
viewer can click on either “tips” or “updates.” One
of the current tips included in the widget is how
to report a petfood complaint to FDA. However,
the tips also include non-petfood topics, such as
purchasing pet drugs online. Current updates
include information on petfood labeling, heart-
worm disease and animal drug safety. Previous
updates included notices of petfood recalls.
PETFOOD EARLY WARNING SYSTEM: Among
other things, FDAAA mandated that the agency
establish an early warning and surveillance
system to identify adulteration of petfood and
outbreaks of illness associated with petfood. In a
recent Federal Register Notice, FDA announced
the intent to help accomplish this requirement
through incorporation of a petfood complaint
questionnaire into the Med Watch\Plus\Portal and
Rational Questionnaire Initiative.
This will be part of a larger electronic system
to collect and process adverse event reports for all
FDA-related products. Proposed questions include
requests for information about the petfood product,
when it was purchased, how it was used and what
effect its use had on the animal.
Once the widget
appears on your
website, the viewer
can click on either
“tips” or “updates.”
The time allotted for public comment is only 30
days, so technically, the period will have expired by
the time this reaches print. While comments would
likely still be received after the deadline, they may
not be granted the same consideration. Comments
on the petfood questionnaire should be submitted
to http://www.regulations.gov; reference Docket
#FDA-2008-N-0546.
AFSS FRAMEWORK: A new draft for the Animal
Feed Safety System (AFSS) recently has been
