WASHINGTON, DC, US — A US Senate panel has overwhelmingly passed an amendment that includes language from the Innovative Feed Enhancement and Economic Development (Innovative FEED) Act of 2023 addressing regulation of novel feed ingredients by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

The Innovative FEED Act would amend the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to establish the new category of zootechnical animal food substances that act in the animal’s gut to provide health benefits, reduce emissions or address human food safety concerns.

For many years, the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) has called on the Food and Drug Administration to update its policies so that these substances did not have to go through the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine’s drug approval process. 

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions passed the amendment on a 19-2 vote, and the AFIA urged the full Senate to quickly approve the legislation.

“Growing bipartisan support for a legislative solution proves that our nation’s elected officials are committed to bringing feed innovation to America’s farmers and ranchers,” said Constance Cullman, president and chief executive officer of the AFIA. “Now, our producers will soon be able to reap the benefits of feed products which contribute to improved animal nutrition, production and food safety and reduced environmental impacts, while competing in a global marketplace that has already marched on without the United States.”

Without congressional approval, the FDA contends it does not have the authority to regulate these products as food ingredients. The Innovative FEED Act would change this by creating a category for zootechnical animal food substances, regulating these products as food ingredients, not animal drugs, and bringing the FDA policy into the 21st century, the AFIA said.

US farmers and ranchers need access to these technologies, while dozens of countries are already safely using these feed ingredients, yielding results in terms of improved animal production and well-being, the AFIA said.