FDA Re-examines Animal Feed Bill

After public outcry from brewers and farmers, the Food and Drug Administration has promised to reword proposed regulations around using spent brewing grain as animal feed. After the FDA announced that spent grain would be held to a new set of rules governing the way animal food is handled, brewers and farmers feared that their long-standing practice of giving and receiving spent grain as livestock feed would come to an end.

The original proposal would have required brewers to dry, analyze and package the spent grain—processes that would be too costly and time consuming for most brewers to implement. Opponents argued that most spent grain, which doesn’t biodegrade well, would end up in landfills. Furthermore, according to brewers, the practice has historically caused few (if any) instances of foodborne illness in cattle.

Numerous breweries and farmers voiced their concerns with the FDA. Steve Miller, general manager of Harpoon’s Windsor, Vt., brewery, tells BA, “We sell spent grains to local farms from both of our breweries. Farmers rely on this consistent, local, relatively low-cost feed source. They would be forced to use higher-cost feed alternatives if we were no longer able to supply them.”

After receiving such a high volume of feedback from brewers and farmers, the FDA has promised to reword the proposal to better accommodate for spent brewing grains. “When the agency proposes revised language for this rule later this summer, we will include more on this issue and welcome comments,” FDA press officer Juli Putnam explains. “We are working to develop regulations that are responsive to the concerns expressed, practical for businesses, and that also help ensure that food for animals is safe and will not cause injury to animals or humans.” ■