The threat of a supplement crackdown motivated a group of 25 manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, and distributors to join with the National Animal Supplement Counsel (NASC) on April 3-4 to hammer out a proposed Compliance Plus program. This program is a “work in progress,” according to NASC president Bill Bookout. He said this proposal gives supplement manufacturers a starting point in negotiating with state and federal regulators on a mutually acceptable way to bring supplements into compliance without unfairly penalizing responsible industry participants.

The animal supplement group hurriedly convened prior to a scheduled mid-April meeting of the Association of American Feed Control Officers (AAFCO). At that meeting AAFCO representatives planned to select one or more animal feed supplement ingredients and stage a nation-wide “regulatory event” in order to bring attention to the problem of illegal animal supplements. While the proposed Compliance Plus program has succeeded in delaying that “event” until this fall, the supplement manufacturers still have many details to iron out before many of the ingredients in their products are considered “approved” or “legal” (as defined by AAFCO’s Official Publication) and not subject to regulatory action.

The first hurdle was for the Compliance Plus program to even be considered by AAFCO. John Breitsman, president of AAFCO, a non-profit organization of state and federal feed regulators that has no regulatory power but helps guide national interpretation of feed laws, said the proposal was “great news. I told them we want them to be serious about this,” added Breitsman. “All we’re seeking is compliance. This is a great first step.”

However, he added, that there are ingredients on the market that still need to be addressed on the regulatory level. “There are products that pose a problem to (animal) health,” he said. “But, other ingredients can achieve some standards and should be on the market