ATLANTA, GEORGIA, U.S. — The 7th Annual International Feed Regulators Meeting (IFRM) organized by the International Feed Industry Federation (IFIF) in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on Jan. 27-28 brought together feed industry representatives and government officials from around the world together with IFIF and the FAO to discuss critical issues facing the feed sector.

“The 7th IFRM proved an important opportunity for global industry and feed regulators to discuss key issues for the feed and food chain, such as capacity development for feed safety to implement the Codex requirements,” said Mario Sergio Cutait, IFIF chairman. “This dialogue is an important example of the private sector collaborating with the FAO and regulators from around the world and we believe that only by working together can we continue to ensure feed and food safety, while meeting the global demands for food sustainably.”

“FAO is committed to facilitating dialogue between the public and private sector and continues to provide extensive information and capacity development on different issues of interest for the feed sector” said Daniela Battaglia, livestock development officer at the Animal Production and Health Division of the FAO. “Feed operators can valuably contribute to make the livestock and food sectors more responsible and sustainable and to achieve other important goals such as public health, and animal health and welfare. The IFRM is an important opportunity to exchange ideas among stakeholders from around the world and to coordinate our efforts towards our common goals.”

FEFAC President Ruud Tijssens moderated a workshop where the FSO (Feed Schemes Observatory) project was presented, which aims to create a benchmark system for feed safety assurance schemes while bridging the communication gap between regulators and food chain partners. 

Other topics at the 7th IFRM included a discussion on the role of best practices in new feed regulations in Canada and the US, as well as the presentation of the global Regulatory Convergence Project of feed ingredients and their mixtures, which builds on the 2013 IFIF “Comparison of Approval Process and Risk-Assessment procedure for Feed Ingredients” report.