January 12, 2010
US agency issues new animal feed safety document
The Centre for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) in the US Food & Drug Administration has issued a newly revised Framework Document about its Animal Feed Safety System Initiative work.
The new Document indicates the team's progress in addressing the feed system gaps and provides greater insight about the risks from the presence of feed hazards, such as when such hazards can become a concern for animal or human health.
The team reviewed the current major processes, guidance, regulations, and policy documents that address feed safety, and it identified ''gaps'' in the current system that needed to be addressed to improve feed safety.
As it conducts its review, the team has been using the AFSS Framework Document to describe the gaps in the current system and present the team''s plan to address them.
One of the developments described in the revised Framework Document is the pending interim policy announcement about a pilot programme concerning Generally Recognised As Safe (GRAS) notifications for feed ingredients.
The new Framework Document also discusses the Reportable Food Registry rule, which includes reportable animal feed.
It also presents information about the web-based system containing the most recently approved ''Blue Bird'' labels that feed mills manufacturing medicated feed can use to model their own labels, so that only the most current and correct labels are used.