Hazards associated with animal feed

The meeting reported on the current knowledge of hazards associated with feed, including insects, former food and food processing by-products and biofuel by-products. It also discussed the use of this information to identify knowledge gaps and prioritize future work for risk analysis purposes. The need for feed for terrestrial and aquatic animals continues to rise with increasing demand for foods of animal origin. However, the challenge is not only to meet this growing need for feed but also to ensure its safety. Hazards in feed may be inherent to feed ingredients as well as introduced during feed production, processing, handling, storage, transportation and use. Among the recommendations made during the meeting were the development of FAO/WHO guidelines for the prevention and control of hazards identified in feed, and support for member countries in addressing them. Furthermore, the expert meeting recommended that the Codex Alimentarius Commission develop and update provisions addressing feed and more specifically those related to feed sources and technologies of relevance to the feed sector.