April 28-30, 2025

All Speakers

Dog and cat food research experts who will present at Petfood Forum & Petfood Essentials

Austin Therrell
Executive Director
Association of American Feed Control Officials
Austin Therrell is the executive director for the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). Prior to taking on that role, he served on AAFCO's board of directors and as co-chair of the AAFCO Feed & Feed Ingredient Manufacturing Committee, a member of the AAFCO Pet Food Committee and a member of the Current Issues and Outreach Committee. Therrell previously served as the animal feed program manager for the South Carolina Department of Agriculture, where he oversaw animal food inspection priorities across the state, product registrations, labeling compliance and a statewide sampling program. He graduated from Clemson University with a bachelor of science degree in animal and veterinary science and a minor in business administration.
Date/TimeTitle
Wed Apr 30
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Closing panel discussion: The state of U.S. pet food ingredient approvals
KCCC halls A-D, Tech Talk stage

Announcements from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) in 2024 have led to significant changes in how ingredients for pet food are approved. Join representatives Dana Brooks, president and CEO of the Pet Food Institute; Louise Calderwood, director of regulatory affairs for the American Feed Industry Association; Todd Harrison, partner at Venable law firm and co-chair of its FDA Group; and Austin Therrell, executive director of AAFCO, as they discuss the current state of approvals and other regulatory and legal matters, and answer your questions.