Association of American Feed Control Officials

Its voting members are representatives from each state in the United States, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Canada, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Additionally, there are non-voting advisors on each AAFCO committee who are mainly from industry, such as the National Grain and Feed Association, Pet Food Institute, and American Feed Industry Association. AAFCO meets twice per year, in January and August, to conduct its business.

Unlike the FDA, AAFCO has no regulatory authority. However, AAFCO members have enforcement authority in their respective state or federal agencies. The AAFCO model regulations on feed ingredients have been adopted by many states; other states have adopted similar regulations. In 2007, the Center for Veterinary Medicine at the FDA formalized its relationship with AAFCO in identifying feed ingredients.

Official publication

The AAFCO official publication contains the latest version of all AAFCO-approved documents. It has been criticized for being too expensive for pet food consumers to access, and by the FDA's legal advisor team for referring to a non-federal document. The publication is available in book form and, since 2013, an online browsable form.