{"topic_id":"AAFCO_2019_to_2023_committee_decisions_summary","category":"aafco-historical","context":"---\ntopic_id: AAFCO_2019_to_2023_committee_decisions_summary\ncategory: aafco-historical\ntitle: AAFCO Pet Food Committee decisions 2019-2023 — PF3(e) struck, PFLM framework adopted, PF74→PF4 renumbered, Familiar Household Unit added\nlang: en\nsource: 5 AAFCO wp-content PDF docs (2019-2023)\ndate_parsed: 2026-07-20\ntokens_estimated: 720\n---\n\nChronological summary of AAFCO Pet Food Committee (PFC) and\nModel Bills and Regulations Committee (MBRC) decisions on pet\nfood / specialty pet food regulations, 2019-2023, sourced from\nfive official committee PDFs downloaded via Tokyo xray VPS from\naafco.org wp-content/uploads (the public PDFs were unreachable\nfrom CN due to GFW blocking aafco.org, and from Seoul due to\nLAN routing issues; Tokyo VPS accessed them directly).\n\n## Timeline of committee decisions\n\n### 2019-01-22 — Pet Food Committee Midyear, Savannah GA\n\nKey motions passed at PFC:\n1. **Strike PF3(e)** (refer to MBRC) — PF3(e) had been in the\n   AAFCO OP \"since the 70s or 80s\"; the workgroup report was\n   accepted and forwarded to MBRC for action.\n2. **Revise PF4(g)** (refer to MBRC) — Feeding directions\n   revisions proposed by workgroup.\n3. **Pet Food Label Workshop at Pet Food Forum** — AAFCO to\n   conduct 1-day workshop on May 2, 2019 (Katie Simpson chairs\n   workgroup).\n4. **FASS proposal accepted** and referred to AAFCO board.\n\nChair transition: **Kristen Green (KY)** stepped down as PFC\nChair; **Liz Beckman (WA) + Jason Schmidt (LA)** became\nco-chairs moving forward.\n\n### 2020-01-21 — Model Bills and Regulations Committee Midyear, Albuquerque NM\n\nFive regulatory revision recommendations:\n1. **Add Regulation 6(h) — Carriers** + move SUIP 17 to deleted.\n2. Revise Model Bill Section 7 — Adulteration (Attachment B).\n3. Revise **Regulation PF3 — Brand and Product Names**\n   (Attachment D).\n4. Revise **Regulation PF5 — Ingredients** (Attachment E).\n5. Revise **Regulation PF7 — Nutritional Adequacy and Feeding\n   Protocols** (Attachment F).\n\nThese attachments contained the earliest draft language of the\nmodern PF sections. They were accepted as proposals and moved\ntoward the 2022 PFLM draft cycle.\n\n### 2022-09-28 — DRAFT: Model Regulations for Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food\n\nFirst consolidated draft of the **Pet Food Label Modernization\n(PFLM)** regulations. Editor: **Lizette Beckman (WA)**.\n\n**PF1 Definitions** (11 definitions):\n(a) All Life Stages\n(b) Family\n(c) Immediate Container\n(d) Ingredient Statement\n(e) Principal Display Panel\n(f) Pet Nutrition Facts\n(g) Specialty Pet Nutrition Facts\n(h) Veterinary Diet\n(i) Food supplement\n(j) Food Mixer\n(k) Daily Food\n\n**PF regulation list** (note PF74 numbering bug — was PF7+4 or PF7.4):\n- PF1. Definitions and Terms\n- PF2. Label Format and Labeling\n- PF3. Brand and Product Names\n- **PF74. Intended Use and Nutritional Adequacy Claims** ← numbering typo\n- PF5. Pet and Specialty Pet Nutrition Facts\n- PF6. Ingredients\n- PF7. Drugs and Pet Food Additives\n- PF8. Feeding Directions\n- PF9. Determination of Calorie Content\n- PF10. Descriptive Terms\n- PF11. Manufacturer or Distributor; Name and Address\n- PF12. Handling and Storage Instructions\n\n### 2023-04-03 — FINAL: PFC + MBRC Model Regulations for Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food\n\nFinal adoption draft. Key changes from 2022-09-28:\n\n1. **PF74 → PF4 (numbering fixed)** — \"Intended Use Statement\n   and Nutritional Adequacy Claims\" renumbered to PF4 (the\n   \"74\" was a typo for \"7.4\" / \"PF7 subsection 4\" in the draft\n   that got corrected to standard PF4).\n2. **New definition (d) \"Familiar Household Unit\"** added:\n   \"means a typical feeding unit in volume or count (e.g., can,\n   measuring cup, treat, or piece)\" — this is the new\n   concept that supports the per-unit calorie / nutrient\n   disclosure requirement of PFLM.\n3. **PF2(7) revised** to \"Name and address of the manufacturer\n   or distributor as stipulated in Regulation PF11\" (was PF9 in\n   draft).\n4. **PF2(8) added**: \"Handling and Storage Instructions may be\n   displayed as stipulated in PF12.\"\n5. **PF8 renumbered** to Feeding Directions (was PF8 in draft —\n   no change).\n6. **PF9 renamed** to \"Determination of Calorie Content for Dog\n   and Cat Foods\" (was generic \"Determination of Calorie\n   Content\" in draft — narrowed scope).\n\n**PF1 Definitions** (12 definitions, alphabetical):\n(a) All Life Stages\n(b) Daily Food\n(c) Family\n(d) **Familiar Household Unit** ← NEW\n(e) Food Mixer\n(f) Food Supplement\n(g) Immediate Container\n(h) Ingredient Statement\n(i) Pet Nutrition Facts\n(j) Principal Display Panel\n(k) Specialty Pet Nutrition Facts\n(l) Veterinary Diet\n\n### 2023-07-31 to 08-02 — AAFCO Annual Meeting, Baltimore MD\n\nAgenda book (4.6 MB PDF, 4132 lines extracted):\n- **Appendix A** (pages 23-69): the new Model Regulations for\n  Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food — **directly embeds the\n  2023-04-03 final PFC/MBRC text** as Appendix A of the 2023\n  Annual Meeting agenda book.\n- Board recommends acceptance of PFC e.(i) — strategic affairs\n  bylaws revision (officer term Midyear-to-Midyear).\n- Board recommends acceptance of MBRC d. — Reg 4(d)\n  antibiotics/quantitative guarantees revised language.\n\nThe 2023 Annual Meeting was the formal vote where the PFLM\npackage was approved by AAFCO membership for inclusion in the\n**2024 Official Publication**.\n\n## Key regulatory changes (2019 → 2023)\n\n| Year | Change | Status |\n|------|--------|--------|\n| 2019 | PF3(e) struck | Referred to MBRC |\n| 2019 | PF4(g) revised | Referred to MBRC |\n| 2020 | Reg 6(h) Carriers added | Referred to board |\n| 2022-09 | PFLM first draft (PF74 typo) | Working draft |\n| 2023-04 | PFLM final (PF4 corrected + 12 definitions + PF9 narrowed to dog/cat) | Final |\n| 2023-08 | Annual Meeting adoption | Approved into 2024 OP |\n\n## Pet food label modernization (PFLM) — what it changes\n\nPFLM is the multi-year project that:\n1. Replaces the \"Guaranteed Analysis\" panel with a new \"Pet\n   Nutrition Facts\" box (PF5 in final).\n2. Adds \"Pet Nutrition Facts\" box with serving size (calorie-\n   based) and per-calorie nutrient disclosure (similar to human\n   nutrition facts).\n3. Requires **Familiar Household Unit** labeling (e.g., \"per\n   treat\" or \"per cup\") for accurate feeding direction.\n4. Standardizes the **\"complete and balanced\" / \"for a specific\n   life stage\"** claim format under PF4.\n5. Calorie content statement required in **kcal per familiar\n   household unit** (PF9 final).\n\nThe 2024 AAFCO Official Publication (aafco.org, downloadable\nthrough their Digital Publication Package) embeds the full\nPFLM regulation set.\n\n## Source PDFs\n\n| File | Size | Lines | Date |\n|------|------|-------|------|\n| Pet_Food_Report_2019_Midyear.pdf | 358 KB | 391 | 2019-01-22 |\n| Model_Bill_and_Regulations_Minutes_2020_Midyear.pdf | 130 KB | 180 | 2020-01-21 |\n| Draft-Model_Pet_Food_Regulations-9-28-22.pdf | 457 KB | 893 | 2022-09-28 |\n| 9._FINAL_PFC_MBRC_for_Pet_Food_and_Specialty_Pet_Food.pdf | 382 KB | 949 | 2023-04-03 |\n| 5._2023_AAFCO_Agenda_Book.pdf | 4.6 MB | 4132 | 2023-07-31 |\n\nSource: `pdf-raw/aafco/` (downloaded via Tokyo xray VPS\n206.237.120.227 curl). All 5 PDFs verified SHA-256 from\nSeoul-side download match Tokyo-side byte-for-byte.","sources":[],"tokens_estimated":720,"generated_at":null,"tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}