The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on April 30 removed three Compliance Policy Guides (CPGs) originally issued in 1979 and 1980 regarding the use of some animal-based ingredients in animal food production after finding them to be out of date with the current standard.

The CPGs withdrawn include Sec. 675.400 – Rendered Animal Feed Ingredients; Sec. 690.300 – Canned Pet Food; and Sec. 690.500 – Uncooked Meat for Animal Food.

The agency claimed the withdrawal of these CPGs is intended to clarify FDA regulatory policy for manufacturers of animal food (including ingredients) and to remind industry about the agency’s expectations of manufacturers who use materials from ‘diseased animals and animals that died otherwise than by slaughter.’”

This decision to remove Sec. 675.400 and Sec. 690.300 was made as FSMA preventive controls for animal food (PCAF) regulations now require processors to develop and maintain a food safety plan, identifying known or foreseeable hazards and setting up preventive control measures to minimize or prevent them. This takes the place of many regulations laid out in the earlier CPGs.

The FDA characterizes some known biological hazards, such as Salmonella and chemical threats posed by decomposed tissue and euthanasia drug residue in animal-based ingredients, and deems products containing these biological hazards as adulterated.

The FDA found the third CPG, Sec. 690.500, to have been reiterated in the section 402(a)(5) of the FD&C Act. It is also inherent in the agency’s ability to take immediate action on uncooked products for animal food that are derived from adulterated animals.

“For those businesses that are not subject to the preventive controls regulation, the FDA continues to use a risk-based approach to regulate animal food under the adulteration and misbranding provisions in the FD&C Act,” the agency stated.

The FDA concluded by emphasizing its overall risk-based approach on food safety remains unchanged and it will continue to intervene if necessary, to preserve the public’s health and safety, including that of our pets.

For more regulatory news affecting the pet food market, visit our Regulatory page.