Navigating the Regulatory Frontier: Highlights from the 2024 IPPE Feed Education Session

Written by: Madison Wyman   |   March 5, 2024

FFY, IPPE, Feed Education Program

The annual Feed Education Program, hosted by the American Feed Industry Association's (AFIA) Production Compliance Committee, was held on Jan. 31 during the 2024 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE). The Session offered crucial insights into THE regulatory changes members of the animal food industry can expect this year, including how they can stay informed and proactive in their compliance efforts.    

To kick off the session,  

Christian Richter, principal at The Policy Group, delved into the

anticipated developments from the Environmental Protection Agency, including the future use of formaldehyde in the food and agriculture industry and what agencies can expect with the upcoming election. He said that we can expect to see the Integrated Risk Information System draft risk assessment finalized in 2024 and the EPA to move quickly toward using the finalized assessment to inform its future regulations. He also discussed the EPA’s activities around per- and poly-fluorinated substances (PFAS). It is currently unclear how the animal food industry could be affected, but the AFIA continues to follow this issue. 

Gary Huddleston, AFIA’s director of feed manufacturing and regulatory affairs, updated attendees on what to expect from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Of particular importance to the feed industry are the updates coming to OSHA’s Lockout/Tagout rule, which will hopefully modernize

the current outdated standard to implement practices and procedures to safeguard workers from hazardous energy releases. 

Jason Lents, Senior Director of Operations at Kent Nutrition Group, provided a presentation on the forthcoming OSHA Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings standard and commented that companies should consider implementing written, comprehensive safety plans now to prevent and manage heat injuries or illnesses. This is a new area of focus that manufacturers need to be aware of and consider at their facilities.  

Leah Wilkinson, AFIA’s vice president of public policy and education, shed light on the Food and Drug Administration’s plans for 2024. She also shared FDA’s fiscal 2023 Food Safety Modernization Act inspections results and common citations and how firms should respond to FDA Form 483s. Of high priority to many AFIA members, she discussed expected changes to the FDA’s Policies and Procedures Manual 1240.3605 and pending legislation, the Innovative Feed Enhancement and Economic Development Act, to help with improving the process for reviewing new animal food ingredients with non-nutritive label claims.  

Paul Davis, Ph.D., AFIA’s director of quality, animal food safety and education, updated attendees on AFIA’s educational offerings for the coming year, including the AFIA-Kansas State University 500 online courses, the upcoming Preventive Controls Qualified Individual training in June and the Feed Industry Institute, also in June. 

In addition, AFIA and Feedstuffs recognized MFA Incorporated's Aurora Mill plant with the 2023 Commercial Dry Feed Facility of the Year award.  

All in all, the educational program set the tone for what members can expect from various regulatory bodies in the coming year.