Animal Food Regulatory Program Alliance

The Animal Food Regulatory Program Alliance is a cooperative agreement initiative led by the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Regulatory Affairs to enhance the nation’s animal food safety infrastructure through strengthened interagency collaboration. The program aims to build a unified national system by supporting federal and state agencies in aligning their regulatory and surveillance efforts, with a focus on advancing the Animal Food Regulatory Program Standards. It emphasizes the development and dissemination of best practices, shared tools such as sampling plans and memorandums of understanding, and mutual reliance mechanisms to improve coordination across public health and regulatory entities. The agreement also prioritizes training and capacity building to ensure consistent implementation of the AFRPS and compliance with provisions of the Food Safety Modernization Act. This includes identifying, developing, promoting, and supporting attendance at targeted training programs for stakeholders involved in animal food safety. Ongoing evaluation and modernization of the AFRPS are integral to the initiative, ensuring standards evolve to meet current regulatory needs and technological advancements. The program is managed by the FDA under the Department of Health and Human Services, with Terrin Brown serving as the primary point of contact for grant-related inquiries.