FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE 7 December 2025 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. Photo: Freepik
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