In early February 2023, the FDA is hosting a webinar regarding their relationship with AAFCO – specifically the pet food/animal feed ingredient approval process. We have requested to provide a presentation (consumer opinions) in this webinar and we would like your input to base our presentation on.
What do you know about how new pet food/animal feed ingredients are approved? As example, recently Black Soldier Fly Larvae was approved as an ingredient in dog food. Do you know how this ingredient was approved? What was required in order for it to be approved for use in dog food?
The ingredient approval process is what FDA is asking for opinion on in this webinar. The FDA states:
“The purpose of this meeting is to specifically look at how to improve FDA’s role in the AAFCO feed ingredient definition process and how FDA could gather stakeholder input on the safety of each pending ingredient definition.”
The agency is only allowing presenters to give input on the following four questions…
- What steps can FDA take to improve stakeholder understanding of FDA’s engagement in AAFCO’s feed ingredient definition process and better communicate this information with the public?
- What changes to FDA’s role in AAFCO’s feed ingredient definition process would be helpful to stakeholders and why?
- If FDA made a list of AAFCO feed ingredient definition requests publicly available, where would stakeholders prefer to find such a list and what information would stakeholders like to see with such a list?
- What do stakeholders view as successful or valuable in FDA’s continued participation as the scientific reviewers for new AAFCO feed ingredient definitions?
Based on FDA’s presentation requirements, we are asking pet owners for their responses to the following questions.
We have closed submissions. Our thanks to all the pet owners that provided comments.
Our presentation will include your responses and we will publish our presentation for pet owners after we provide it to FDA.
If you would like to attend the webinar, listen to all of the presentations (we assume many/most will be from industry), you can register to attend on the FDA website 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
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JEAN E. Colson
January 3, 2023 at 12:15 pm
Ho get ’em Susan. Pet food buyers deserve to have an open option to voice their opinion regarding everything concerning what we purchase to feed our pets.
Greg Keefer
January 3, 2023 at 12:20 pm
Survey not working. When submitted, “Something went wrong”
Susan Thixton
January 3, 2023 at 12:23 pm
It might be a browser conflict – you can try in a different browser to see if that works. It could also be an overload of too many people sending responses at one time (I’m blown away at how many people have already responded).
Susan
Joy
January 4, 2023 at 12:01 pm
Nope, I’ve tried it in three different browsers. Each time, I receive the message, “Something went wrong.”
Susan Thixton
January 4, 2023 at 12:16 pm
You can put your responses in a comment and I’ll include you in the totals that will be submitted to FDA.
Antoinette F. Muniz
January 4, 2023 at 7:12 pm
I tried to send responses in for a second day and still no go. Therefore as per your comment above I will put my responses in here as follows:
A. On a scale of 1 to 5, how much do you understand about how new pet food ingredients are approved and defined?
1. I know absolutely nothing about how new pet food ingredients are approved.
B. Do you feel pet owners are allowed to provide input on proposed pet food ingredients (before they are allowed to be used in pet food)?
No, pet owners are currently excluded.
C. Should all pending pet food ingredients be publicly available on the FDA website allowing opportunity for public comment?
Yes, pet owners should have opportunity to view pending pet food ingredients and provide comment.
D. Should all evidence to nutritional adequacy and safety be public information prior to new ingredient approval?
Yes, all evidence to nutritional adequacy and safety should be public information prior to ingredient approval.
E. Who should approve and define new pet food ingredients?
A panel consisting of AAFCO, FDA, veterinarians and independent scientists (independent from ingredient suppliers).
Hope this is sufficient. I look forward to the results of of the FDA/webinar, what you present, and what kind of responses you get.
Sandy Thompson
January 3, 2023 at 12:44 pm
It won’t accept my answers to survey? Each time I get an error “something went wrong”
Susan Thixton
January 3, 2023 at 2:10 pm
It could be a browser conflict, you can try in a different browser. Or it could be too many people are trying to send responses at the same time – which you can try again in 30 minutes or so. If that doesn’t work, send me your responses and I’ll include them.
Susan
Debby Bradford
January 3, 2023 at 12:58 pm
I tried to submit the survey making sure I answered all questions but I got an error message saying “something went wrong”.
Susan Thixton
January 3, 2023 at 2:09 pm
It could be a browser conflict, you can try in a different browser. Or it could be too many people are trying to send responses at the same time – which you can try again in 30 minutes or so. If that doesn’t work, send me your responses and I’ll include them.
Susan
Michelle McCulley
January 3, 2023 at 2:06 pm
I answered all the questions and when I click Send Message it says “Something Went Wrong”.
Susan Thixton
January 3, 2023 at 2:09 pm
It could be a browser conflict, you can try in a different browser. Or it could be too many people are trying to send responses at the same time – which you can try again in 30 minutes or so. If that doesn’t work, send me your responses and I’ll include them.
Susan
Bonnie Kirk
January 3, 2023 at 2:14 pm
It keeps saying something went wrong when I submit. I will try again.
Cecilia
January 3, 2023 at 2:46 pm
The link to submit the survey seems to be broken, I could not submit my answers.
Audrey Scruggs
January 3, 2023 at 3:00 pm
Hello,
Trying to submit the FDA survey but it keeps saying, something went wrong.
Garrett
January 3, 2023 at 3:19 pm
I don’t think it’s a browser issue as I’ve tried in both Firefox and Chrome to submit.
A Muniz
January 3, 2023 at 3:29 pm
Still getting “something went wrong” message. I tried changing browsers nd still got the same results.
Dawn
January 3, 2023 at 4:50 pm
Trying to send but keeps telling me that something went wrong. Only have cell phone so??? Chrome must not be working ????
Good luck with FDA!!!!
Love all the info you provide.
Matthew
January 3, 2023 at 5:12 pm
What’s the point in the approval process if there is no enforcement for kibble companies that are using unapproved ingredients.
Andy Lange
January 3, 2023 at 5:24 pm
Same error message on Firefox, Chrome and Safari
Meg
January 3, 2023 at 6:14 pm
Just tried to send again – Still get ‘something went wrong’ message. Have tried 3 different browsers, cleared cache, etc. If too much traffic is the issue, how long do we have to respond?
Sharon Matich
January 3, 2023 at 6:36 pm
Definitely not a browser issue. I tried 7 times to submit. Always says “something went wrong”.
PC
January 3, 2023 at 6:58 pm
FYI – My survey DID submit – using chrome browser
Cynthia
January 3, 2023 at 7:03 pm
Seems to have finally worked with Chrome!
Beth
January 3, 2023 at 9:15 pm
I tried firefox and opera…. error.
Pacificsun
January 3, 2023 at 11:23 pm
I was happy to complete the survey, but it said “something went wrong.”
If they’re blocking our responses, how can we expect them to take our reponses seriously.
And no, I shouldn’t have to change my choice of browser to accomdate them.
Diane Timmons
January 4, 2023 at 7:27 am
Unable to submit – get “something went wrong” message. It appears many others are having the same problem. Sorry I’m unable to respond to your survey – it’s an important topic.
Teresa Heckel
January 4, 2023 at 9:42 am
Please include my survey answers since I am unable to complete it:
1) #1 I know absolutely nothing
2) No
3) Yes
4) Yes
5) A panel should approve & define new ingredients
Susan Thixton
January 4, 2023 at 11:12 am
Received and documented. Thank you!
Meg
January 5, 2023 at 11:57 am
Since unable to send successfully, my responses are:
1) #1 I know absolutely nothing
2) No
3) Yes
4) Yes
5) A panel should approve & define new ingredients
Susan Thixton
January 5, 2023 at 3:13 pm
Received and documented.