ARLINGTON, VA. — The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission recently released a report on a range of health concerns in American children, blaming the modern food and agriculture industries and calling into question many of the same regulatory systems that the animal food industry uses. The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) expressed its deep concerns on the report, calling them an “oversimplification that ignores current food and animal food regulatory systems designed to promote public and animal health.”

“Oversimplifying complex public health challenges without a clear understanding of the myriad complexities facing the production of safe and nutritious foods could undermine decades of scientific progress and innovation,” said Constance Cullman, president and chief executive officer of the AFIA. “The American food and animal food system is among the safest and most affordable in the world, and part of that success comes from the Food and Drug Administration’s regulatory approach for approving science-backed tools and ingredients so farmers and manufacturers can utilize proven practices.”

According to the AFIA, the MAHA report expresses little regard for the rigorous regulatory systems in place that helped establish the United States as a world leader in safe, affordable and wholesome food. Similar to the human food industry, the animal feed and pet food industries also practice rigorous food safety standards, as manufacturing facilities must abide by regulations in the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The act requires facilities to identify hazards that may result in foodborne pathogens and put preventive measures in place, comply with Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) requirements, develop and implement food safety plans, work with domestic and international suppliers to reduce hazards, and comply with regular inspections. 

In addition to the above, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also requires the animal food industry to address new hazards and reanalyze their food safety plans as necessary, as seen earlier this year in which manufacturers were required to add highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) to their food safety plans. The FDA also provides reviews on animal food ingredients, examining their safety and effectiveness, allowing the industry to innovate and provide more optimal nutrition solutions to support animal health and wellness. 

Beyond these regulations, many animal food manufacturing facilities seek safety certifications from third parties, such as the Safe Feed/Safe Food certification. 

“AFIA’s main concern with the MAHA assessment is that the rhetoric will hold weight in upcoming policy discussions, unintentionally bringing consequences to US food and animal food security, food waste and potential environmental impact,” Cullman said. “We hope that as the Trump administration moves forward in the next few months that it will engage food and agriculture value chain stakeholders.”

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