Executive Director
The Association of American Feed Control Officials
Beginning in October 2026, a new modernized regulatory pathway is available to bring fresh and innovative animal food ingredients to the market in the U.S.
Earlier this year, the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) announced a partnership with Kansas State University’s Olathe Innovation Campus (K-State Olathe) to develop the new Scientific Review of Ingredient Submissions (SRIS) process.
AAFCO and K-State Olathe laid out an aggressive plan to develop the novel process within one year; with both teams quickly getting to work setting up a collaborative steering committee that consisted of experienced state regulatory officials, retired U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) personnel, and key representatives from trade associations that represent the U.S. animal food industry. The steering committee worked continuously throughout the year to develop the process flow, conflict of interest requirements, timelines, submission guidance, and training material for subject matter experts.
The result of that effort is a pathway that offers a fast and accurate scientific assessment of new animal food ingredients. Through SRIS, prospective ingredients undergo scientific evaluation by independent consultants and subject matter experts from universities across the country, while upholding rigorous scientific standards and transparency. The process is intended to complement the FDA’s current Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) Notice program, providing the animal food industry with an additional option for introducing new and innovative products to the market.
The SRIS process is managed by Dr. Garret Ashabranner, who previously served as an animal scientist at the FDA, where he reviewed animal food ingredients and advised on monogastric nutrition and environmental claims. He brings nearly a decade of experience in poultry production, regulatory science and agricultural education to the SRIS process.
In addition to hiring Dr. Ashabranner, AAFCO and K-State Olathe put out a call for subject matter experts (SMEs) in June of this year, amassing a repertoire of diverse and uniquely qualified individuals who will conduct expert panel reviews within the SRIS framework. SMEs were selected based on their areas of expertise, screened for potential conflicts of interest, and trained to review new and innovative ingredients that would benefit the U.S. animal food industry in a manner that preserves scientific rigor.
Within the process flow that was developed, a steering committee also worked to establish the flexibility for submitters to “stop the clock” within the process to address any questions from reviewers or to gather additional data that may be needed to support a safety conclusion. Unlike the federal processes, the 60–90-day review clock will stop and start when dialogue or answers are needed without resetting the review time frame back to zero.
The unique flexibility of the SRIS process, along with the collection of the brightest minds in animal nutrition, allows for ingredient reviews to be done in half of the time that it currently takes FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, without compromising safety standards or scientific integrity because the leading experts are the individuals involved in the review.
The SRIS pathway is also the only regulatory process that provides a formal review of animal food ingredient definitions that neither FDA’s Food Additive Petition (FAP) nor the GRAS pathways fulfill. Through SRIS, the safety and intended use of proposed new ingredient definitions are evaluated. These definitions form a key part of the AAFCO Official Publication, which standardizes ingredient terminology, providing consistency in interstate commerce. Without SRIS, the U.S. animal food industry faces barriers to innovation and standardization of feed ingredients.
With strong leadership on board, and an expansive network of some of the most qualified animal nutritionists in the world, the SRIS process is poised to be a successful regulatory pathway for U.S. animal food manufacturers.
Innovators in the ingredient space can expect responsiveness, transparency, a fair evaluation of ingredients, and open dialogue, while U.S. animal food manufacturers can expect to gain access to innovative ingredients that will allow them to remain competitive on the international stage.
About Austin Therrell
Since 2022, Austin Therrell has been the the executive director of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). AAFCO has been guiding state, federal and international feed regulators with ingredient definitions, label standards and laboratory standards for more than 115 years.
