Susan M. Hays

Title

Executive director

Company

AAFCO

Presentation Description:

New pet food ingredient? What you need to do to use it legally in the U.S. – Susan Hays, executive director of AAFCO, reviews the new AAFCO Ingredient Definitions Committee guidelines and respond to questions on this important topic. The presentation will walk the audience through the AAFCO Ingredient Definition Process, updated in 2018, explaining the responsibilities of the requester of the definition, AAFCO and FDA. Working hand in hand, and based on science, new ingredients are introduced into the pet food products marketplace following a procedure that is intended to fully vet the new ingredient and its safety to pets prior to any product being sold in the U.S. marketplace.

Experience:

Susan Hays is the executive director of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). She has attended AAFCO meetings since 2005, serving as an industry adviser on AAFCO committees. In addition to her work on board directives, Hays assists AAFCO committees working on issues including Pet Food Label Modernization, Independent Conclusions of GRAS and the Ingredient Definitions Committee. She also serves non-profit agricultural organizations. Hays’ background includes organizing and managing a firm that contracts to provide management services for associations, employment as the executive director for a state research and development commission, and positions in purchasing and logistics management for two international manufacturers. Hays is a graduate of the Indiana University Center for Philanthropy Fundraising School and of two programs for entrepreneurs, including one with an international business focus. She has a degree in secondary education and French from the University of Wyoming.