We were notified by AAFCO, the organization has done something specifically for consumers. AAFCO has dramatically lowered the cost to attend meetings for consumers.
Cost to attend an AAFCO Meeting for Industry: $575.00
Cost to attend an AAFCO Meeting for Consumers: $250.00
This is something we have asked AAFCO for – for years. And finally, they listened. But…is it too late?
AAFCO – Association of American Feed Control Officials – is an organization of State Feed Control Officials, employees of state governments. The Feed Official members of AAFCO have for more than 100 years written (state) laws that govern pet food and animal feed, including nutritional requirements (nutrient profiles), labeling laws and animal feed/food ingredient approvals.
The laws written by AAFCO are adopted by US states, but not all states. Which has resulted in haphazard state regulation of pet foods/animal feeds. As example: one US state will allow a particular ingredient in a pet food, another state will not. One state strictly scrutinizes information on a pet food label, another state doesn’t even review the label.
And AAFCO has for years continued to ignore pet food consumers, knowingly treating consumers and consumer representatives poorly while at the same time providing industry representatives with ‘best friend’ status – to have almost free reign to anything they wanted.
AAFCO was well aware of these issues for decades, but continued to do their work the same way they always had. They appeared to care less that the world around them was changing, standing their ground that the ‘old ways’ of AAFCO were going to stay the same.
And then…AAFCO’s best friends (industry) took actions that could lead to the demise of the organization. The Pet Food Institute (the trade association representing the largest pet food manufacturers) introduced a bill in Congress that would completely eliminate state regulation of pet food. The bill – the PURR Act – which includes NO benefits for consumers, is currently sitting in Congress. AAFCO’s future is waiting to be voted on…completely out of their control.
Is AAFCO scrambling to survive by finally doing something to benefit consumers? OR has AAFCO come to the realization that their actions should take into consideration the largest stakeholder of pet food (consumers)? Did AAFCO realize that consumers are not so bad after all?
Personal opinion: regardless to why, it is a great thing that AAFCO lowered the cost to attend a meeting for pet owners. My thanks to AAFCO for taking this action.
More personal opinion: We (pet owners) absolutely need state regulation of pet food. A future of FDA’s sole regulation of pet food is concerning (to say the least). I encourage all pet owners to contact their Governor and State Representatives and encourage them to continue state regulation of pet foods and animal feeds.
For any pet owner that wants to attend, the next AAFCO meeting is January 21 – 23, 2025 in Little Rock, Arkansas. For more information, Click Here.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food
Become a member of our pet food consumer Association. Association for Truth in Pet Food is a a stakeholder organization representing the voice of pet food consumers at AAFCO and with FDA. Your membership helps representatives attend meetings and voice consumer concerns with regulatory authorities. Click Here to learn more.
What’s in Your Pet’s Food?
Is your dog or cat eating risk ingredients? Chinese imports? Petsumer Report tells the ‘rest of the story’ on over 5,000 cat foods, dog foods, and pet treats. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. Click Here to preview Petsumer Report. www.PetsumerReport.com
The 2024 List
Susan’s List of trusted pet foods. Click Here to learn more.
The 2024/25 Treat List
Susan’s List of trusted pet treat manufacturers. Click Here to learn more.
Sandy M
November 19, 2024 at 12:17 pm
Thank you Susan for all you do. You probably helped to make this change happen. I’m sure the decision is self preservation and bottom line driven. I will take the time to reach out to my local House of Representatives for my district (find them at house.gov) again, and the Governor. I will ask them to support state pet food regulations and their constituents and defeat the PURR Act. Everyone who is in the area of this meeting and/or can afford to go, should go. It takes a village. . . .
Helga
November 19, 2024 at 1:48 pm
MAYBE a positive first step. However, I no longer trust any mainstream institution. None of them. Not one tiny bit. It will be a very long and hard climb out of that deep hole for them. It will be a long road to begin to EARN my trust back. Very, very long road. I am nowhere close to fork over my money just yet. For now I will keep a distrustful and suspicious eye on them from the sidelines. You don’t wash away the stain and stench of decades of lies, deceit and heartbreak over killed furry family members with a magic wand.