FDA Moves Toward Improved Feed Ingredient Reviews
February 5, 2024
In an important step to modernize its review and approval of animal feed ingredients, the Food and Drug Administration said Feb. 2 it’s withdrawing long-standing policy that classifies animal feed ingredients as animal drugs if making claims on production, environment, or food safety-related benefits.
NMPF has long advocated for FDA to rescind this policy to help pave the way for faster review and approval of animal feed ingredients that can reduce enteric methane emissions. A streamlined approval process, specifically one that would allow feed additives to be reviewed as foods rather than as drugs, is important for dairy farmers seeking to maintain global competitiveness as trade rivals adopt such ingredients, which currently are not allowed in the United States because of lengthy regulatory hurdles.
FDA also made clear that it supports the legislative authority embodied in the NMPF-backed Innovative FEED Act (H.R. 6687, S. 1842), which directs the agency to review enteric-reducing and other products using its Food Additive Petition process. That shift would represent an improvement over the current approach of reviewing such additives as drugs.
NMPF is urging dairy allies to write members of the House of Representatives to become sponsors for the Innovative FEED Act, which is critical to speeding FDA approval of Elanco’s 3-NOP (Bovaer) and similar future products. This NMPF call-to-action contains a pre-drafted message seeking House member endorsement of the legislation.
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