• On May 2, The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) announced the institution of its new repository, referred to as the Common Food Index (CFI), and implementation of a process by which items may be added for consideration by stakeholders and the general public. AAFCO is a non-profit organization that helps guide state, federal, and international feed regulators with ingredient definitions, label standards, and laboratory standards to support the health and safety of people and animals. The CFI provides for common foods that may be appropriate for use in animal food; however, it is not a substitute for the AAFCO process for new feed ingredient definitions delineated in the Official Publication.

• Common foods are defined as food items commercially available and suitable for use in animal food but are not defined by AAFCO, including but not limited to certain whole seeds, vegetables, or fruits. Common food for animals may include common human foods that are known to be safe for the intended use in animal food. Manufacturers are responsible for determining whether a common food is safe and has utility for its intended use prior to commercial distribution as animal food.

• AAFCO’s subcommittee of ingredient definition and label reviewers assessed and identified the first list to the most common and well-known ingredients. The proposed list of the initial 72 items can be found here.  

• AAFCO is requesting stakeholders such as veterinarians, animal nutritionists, consumer groups, and the public to provide feedback on the initial CFI by June 2, 2023. AAFCO is not yet accepting proposals for additional common food items. Interested parties may submit their feedback using this virtual form.

Lauren Haas, Frederick Stearns and Emily Thomas also contributed to this article.