Cooperative Agreement Summary

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Regulatory Affairs awarded a Cooperative Agreement totaling $535,954 to the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Research Foundation (NASDA Foundation) on September 20, 2025, under the FDA Research program (CFDA 93.103). In collaboration with the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), NASDA Foundation will deliver integrated animal food safety regulatory services through September 31, 2028. The award supports four primary deliverables: advancing the Animal Feed Regulatory Program Standards (AFRPS) through continuous improvement and modernization; developing and delivering animal food safety training programs to support AFRPS implementation and Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) compliance; facilitating federal and state agency coordination to build and expand a national integrated animal food safety system; and establishing systems for sharing best practices, guidance documents, sampling plans, and memorandums of understanding to encourage mutual reliance between federal and state animal food regulatory programs.

The Cooperative Agreement leverages a decade of successful collaboration between national associations and state and federal partners to strengthen the national integrated animal food safety system. By consolidating activities under a single cooperative agreement, the award structure generates administrative cost savings for the FDA, NASDA Foundation, and AAFCO while improving regulatory standardization and compliance across the animal food safety sector. The work directly supports enhanced coordination and information sharing among diverse stakeholders, including federal agencies, state departments of agriculture, and public health agencies operating within animal food safety and regulatory compliance frameworks.