SILVER SPRING, MD. — The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will host a virtual forum Sept. 24 from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Eastern time, in which industry stakeholders will present on and discuss regulatory oversight topics relevant to the pet food processing industry.

The FDA Virtual Listening Session on the Oversight of Pet Food is organized by the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) and will take place entirely online. The agency has opened registration for the session through Sept. 20, and participants wishing to speak or present during the session must register by 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 3. Presenters will be chosen and contacted by the agency not long after Sept. 3.

Presentation topics include labeling, ingredients, contaminants, safety and other areas relevant to pet food regulatory oversight.

The FDA plans to release a recording and transcript of the listening session, available for public access.

Additionally, the CVM will be accepting written comments on regulatory pet food oversight through an online docket through Oct. 25. Electronic docket submissions are preferred but, if needed, industry stakeholders can also submit comments to the docket by mail by following these instructions:

  1. Written comments must be postmarked on or before Oct. 25 to be submitted to the docket
  2. Mail comments to:
    Dockets Management Staff (HFA-305)
    Food and Drug Administration
    5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061
    Rockville, MD 20852
  3. Include docket number FDA-2021-N-0859 on each page of written comments

While there is no requirement for pet food products to receive FDA approval before they go to market, the FDA retains the right to take regulatory action if a product is not safe or poses harm to human or animal health.

The agency’s Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act requires animal food products to be “safe to eat, produced under sanitary conditions, free of harmful substances, and truthfully labeled.” The agency works with the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) and state and national organizations to establish guidelines for safe pet food and pet food ingredients.

See the FDA’s full announcement for this pet food oversight session.

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