NGFA urges California Department of Public Health to adopt pertinent pet food model regulations

By David Fairfield, Senior Vice President, Feed

NGFA joined with the California Grain and Feed Association, Pet Food Institute, American Feed Industry Association and North American Renderers Association to submit a statement on Dec. 31 to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) regarding potential amendments to California’s processed pet food regulations.

CDPH on Dec. 1 provided a 30-day notice of informal stakeholder engagement that invited interested parties to submit comments related to amending its existing processed pet food regulations. To facilitate comments, CDPH within its notice posed several questions related to label requirements, including how the requirements should address the use of the terms “human grade” and “natural.” CDPH uses the informal engagement process to solicit input prior to the start of the formal promulgation procedures used to amend regulations pursuant to the California Administrative Procedures Act.

In general, the joint statement submitted by the associations urged CDPH to adopt pertinent pet food model regulations as published in the Official Publication of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) to facilitate the harmonization of pet food regulations across states, which assists the industry when engaged in interstate commerce and provides uniform protection to consumers. In addition, the statement encouraged CDPH to take a more active role within AAFCO to increase its awareness of existing and emerging pet food model regulatory standards.

Read the full statement here.