December 29, 2005

FDA updates feed regulation enforcement

After conducting over 41,000 inspections, the US Food & Drug Administration has concluded its enforcements for ruminant feed regulation.

These inspections are classified according to the status of compliance, namely, official action indicated (OAI), voluntary action indicated (VAI) or no action indicated. Categories defined are as follows: 

• Renderers are the first to handle and process (i.e., render) animal proteins and to send these processed materials to feed mills and/or protein blenders for use as a feed ingredient.  
  
  
• Licensed feed mills are licensed by FDA to produce medicated feed products. This licensing has nothing to do with handling prohibited materials under the ruminant feed regulation.  
  
  
• Feed mills not licensed by FDA are not licensed by FDA to produce medicated feeds. 
  
  
• Protein blenders are firms that blend rendered animal protein for the purpose of producing quality feed ingredients that feed mills will use.  
  
  
• Renderers, mills and protein blenders include only those firms that actually use prohibited material to manufacture, process or blend animal feed or feed ingredients.  
  
  
• Other firms inspected include ruminant feeders, on-farm mixers, pet food manufacturers, animal feed salvagers, distributors, retailers and animal feed transporters.