AFIA Honors Industry Leaders with 2024 Awards for Excellence and Dedication

Written by: Madison Wyman   |   May 21, 2024

Member of the Year, Distinguished Service Award

Last week, the American Feed Industry Association had the honor of thanking those who have greatly impacted our industry in a positive way. The group and individual who received awards represent the ‘best of the best,’ exhibiting amazing expertise to help the AFIA achieve its goals and objectives and making significant contributions to animal feed.  

It is our pleasure to award the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) Modernization Working Group with AFIA’s 2024 Member of the Year Award and Calvin Ross Hamilton, Ph.D., with AFIA’s 2024 Distinguished Service Award.  

Distinguished Service Award – Calvin Ross Hamilton 

The AFIA recognized Hamilton with the Distinguished Service Award for his significant contributions and leadership in the animal food industry, calling him a,

“visionary leader who anticipates potential consequences, identifies long-term implications and formulates practical plans to address challenges and capitalize on opportunities.”  

Hamilton recently retired after a 26-year career at Darling Ingredients, where he held various roles, including vice president of government affairs. Prior to that, he served as a swine research extension specialist and associate professor at South Dakota State University. 

He has been actively involved with the AFIA and Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER), serving on AFIA’s Board of Directors and as a founding trustee of IFEEDER for 11 years.

Additionally, he has contributed to industry organizations such as the American Society of Animal Science and the U.S. Animal Health Association and has authored over 150 scientific papers. 

Member of the Year – GRAS Modernization Working Group 

Formed in last summer by AFIA’s Ingredient Approval and Definition Committee, the GRAS Modernization Working Group assessed discrepancies in the GRAS notification processes of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), which reviews new animal food ingredients, and FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), which reviews new human food ingredients. The group reviewed and compared these processes, reviewing nearly 900 pages of submissions, and submitted their findings to the CVM to initiate a dialogue on modernizing the GRAS notification process for animal food, aiming to enhance innovation while ensuring safety compliance. 

The GRAS Modernization Working Group included: Emily Bulian Helmes and Roxanna Van Dorn, of BiomEdit; Kristi Smedley, Ph.D., of the Center for Regulatory Services; Leteasha Gorham, of Danisco Animal Nutrition and Health – IFF; Kevin Korth, of Native Microbials Inc.; Caroline Moreira Carvalho, Annie Bailey Parr and Dr. Daniela Solomon, of Novonesis Animal and Plant Biosolutions. 

The AFIA proudly celebrates the remarkable achievements of these award winners. These awards underscore AFIA’s commitment to excellence and the outstanding efforts of its members to drive the industry forward.