{"topic_id":"ECFR_human_grade_claims","category":"ecfr","context":"---\ntopic_id: \"ECFR_human_grade_claims\"\ncategory: \"ecfr\"\ntitle: \"ECFR human grade claims\"\nlang: en\nsource_document: \"U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR)\"\ncitation:\n  authority: \"ecfr\"\n  title: \"ECFR human grade claims\"\n  url: \"\"\n  retrieved: \"\"\n  ref: \"\"\n  doc_type: \"official source\"\n  needs_review: true\nauthority_tier: T1\nauthority_tier_basis: \"T1:us-gov\"\nauthority_tier_date: 2026-08-04\n---\n'Human grade' claims on US pet food are governed by the AAFCO-defined feed term 'human grade' (AAFCO Human Grade standard, administered with USDA AMS), not by a stand-alone FDA regulation. Per the AAFCO standard: (1) the term is only acceptable in reference to the product AS A WHOLE — ingredient-level 'human grade' claims are not recognized; (2) every ingredient and the resulting product must be stored, handled, processed and transported in a manner consistent and compliant with 21 CFR part 117 (Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food) and all other applicable federal human food law. The earlier citation of '21 CFR 110 human food cGMP' is outdated: FSMA replaced part 110 with part 117, and part 110 was removed effective September 17, 2018. In August 2015 FDA announced it would no longer offer pre-market review of human-grade claim documentation, leaving substantiation to state feed control programs applying the AAFCO feed term; USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service offers Human Grade Pet Food certification under its Process Verified Program (PVP), and some states require AMS PVP certification before distribution. A pet food manufactured in an animal-food facility under 21 CFR part 507 (not part 117) does NOT meet the feed term, even if every ingredient is human-edible; false or misleading 'human grade' labeling renders a product misbranded under FDCA §403(a) (21 U.S.C. 343(a)(1)). No 'FDA 2023 guidance' on human-grade pet food claims exists in project sources.\n","sources":["ecfr — ECFR human grade claims"],"source":{"authority":"ecfr","title":"ECFR human grade claims","url":"https://www.ecfr.gov/","retrieved":"","ref":"","doc_type":"official source","source_document":"U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR)","verification_file":""},"source_document":"U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR)","source_file":"","trust":{"authority_tier":"T1","fidelity":"verbatim","license":null,"display_grade":"A"},"tokens_estimated":240,"generated_at":"2026-07-19","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."}