AAFCO 2017 Midyear (Mobile, AL, Jan 17 2017) — Human Grade & Tracer new Official Feed Terms, 11 definitions moved tentative→Official

AAFCO 2017 Midyear (Mobile, AL, Jan 17 2017) — Human Grade & Tracer new Official Feed Terms, 11 definitions moved tentative→Official

Source: AAFCO 2017 Midyear Committee Reports (book with cover), retrieved 2026-08-05 via direct aafco.org download and pdftotext. This is a first-hand AAFCO standard-body text; the claims below are verbatim substrings of source_file (C1). (Previously pending_tsv — the local PDF was unreachable at parse time; now downloaded and machine-verified.)

Editorial context (read this before using the data point)

This topic is the 2017 data point in the AAFCO × FEDIAF 12-year nutrient-standard / ingredient-definition evolution line (2013–2025). Its headline actions were ingredient-terminology adoptions driven by the Ingredient Definitions Committee (IDC) and Pet Food Committee: the "Human Grade" and "Tracer" feed terms became Official, and eleven tentative definitions (including L-Methionine, Bovine Colostrum, Yucca schidigera extract, Wheat Gluten, Molasses Hydrolyzed Yeast) advanced to Official. Read it with AAFCO_2018_midyear_pfc_decisions (the Human Grade Validation Workgroup that followed) and the FEDIAF guideline editions for the parallel European line.

Verbatim C1 claims (each a byte-substring of the source file)

1. with the AAFCO 2017 Mid-Year Meeting in Mobile Alabama (January 16 – 18th).
2. Human Grade: Every ingredient and the resulting product are stored, handled, processed, and transported in a manner that is consistent and compliant with regulations for current good manufacturing practices (cGMPs) for human edible foods as specified in 21 CFR Part 117.
3. Tracer. (Part) A harmless substance present at insignificant levels in an animal food to assure the presence of and thorough mixing of a component (ingredient/premix) of that food.
4. Move the following definitions from tentative to Official:
5. Feed Grade: Material that has been determined to be safe, functional and suitable for its intended use in animal food, is handled and labeled appropriately, and conforms to the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act
6. T6.12 Taurine is a product which contains a minimum of 97% 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid.
7. Publish the following new definitions as tentative in the Official Publication:

What happened in 2017

• New Official Feed Terms. The Board accepted the IDC recommendation to publish "Human Grade" as an Official feed term (definition at claim 2) and "Tracer" as a new term (definition at claim 3). A "Human Grade" guideline was conditioned on the definition being accepted first.
• 11 definitions moved tentative → Official. Among those advanced: T6.17 L-Methionine; T27.9 Deoiled corn distillers dried grains with solubles, solvent extracted; T54.33 Bovine Colostrum; T54.34 Dried Bovine Colostrum; T57.165 Zinc Hydroxychloride; T71.30 Mustard Meal, Solvent Extracted; T73.300 Sodium Salts of Fatty Acids; T73.301 Potassium Salts of Fatty Acids; T87.29 Yucca schidigera extract; T93.9 Wheat Gluten; T96.13 Molasses Hydrolyzed Yeast.
• New tentatives. New tentative definitions published included T33.25 Stearic Acid and T33.26 Palmitic Acid; T6.12 Taurine was extended with a new intended use for fish (shrimp and other aqua species explicitly excluded per FDA-CVM).
• Feed Grade / Suitable for use in animal feed. "Feed Grade" and "Suitable for use in animal feed" were also published as Official feed terms (definition at claim 5).

Scope note

These are the AAFCO 2017 midyear IDC/PFC ingredient-terminology adoptions. They are distinct from the AAFCO Dog & Cat Food Nutrient Profiles (last revised 2014) — this topic records *definitions*, not *profile* revisions.