AFIA Decries ‘Oversimplification’ of Claims in MAHA Report
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As reported by Food Safety Magazine, the Trump administration released its "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) Report on May 22, laying a foundation for the overhaul of government policy on childhood nutrition, food chemicals, environmental toxins found in food contact materials, and other concerns.
The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) disputes claims in the MAHA Report, calling them “an oversimplification that ignores current food and animal food regulatory systems designed to promote public and animal health.”
Regarding the MAHA Report’s take on the causes of wide-ranging health concerns in American children, AFIA criticizes the report for “largely blaming modern food and agriculture with little regard for the rigorous regulatory systems in place that have allowed the U.S. to be a world leader in safe, affordable and wholesome food.”
“Oversimplifying complex public health challenges without a clear understanding of the myriad complexities facing the production of safe and nutritious foods could undermine decades of scientific progress and innovation,” said AFIA President and CEO Constance Cullman. “The American food and animal food system is among the safest and most affordable in the world, and part of that success comes from the Food and Drug Administration’ s regulatory approach for approving science-backed tools and ingredients so farmers and manufacturers can utilize proven practices.”
Cullman added: “AFIA’s main concern with the MAHA assessment is that the rhetoric will hold weight in upcoming policy discussions, unintentionally bringing consequences to U.S. food and animal food security, food waste and potential environmental impact. We hope that as the Trump administration moves forward in the next few months that it will engage food and agriculture value chain stakeholders.”
AFIA notes, that, like human food manufacturing facilities, all feed and pet food manufacturing facilities must abide by stringent regulations in the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), which requires facilities, among other things, to: identify hazards that could result in foodborne pathogens and put risk-based preventive controls in place; comply with Current Good Manufacturing Practice requirements; develop and implement animal food safety plans; work with domestic and foreign suppliers to reduce hazards; and be subject to regular inspections.
“Through FSMA, the FDA can promulgate rules and requirements when presented with new risks, such as the case earlier this year when the continued outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza prompted new rules for pet food manufacturing facilities using raw poultry or cattle ingredients,” AFIA said.
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