# Plain Language Summary: Innovative FEED Act of 2023

This bill creates a new category of animal feed additives called "zootechnical substances" and sets up a streamlined approval process for them. These are substances added to livestock feed or water that work specifically in an animal's digestive system to improve digestion, reduce harmful bacteria in meat, or change the animal's gut bacteria—but they don't treat disease or provide basic nutrition. Think of them as digestive aids rather than medicines or nutrients. The bill essentially says these products can be approved as food additives rather than going through the more complicated drug approval process, which should make it faster and cheaper for companies to bring these products to market.

The practical effect is that farmers and livestock producers will have access to new tools to improve animal health and food safety without waiting years for approval. For example, a substance that reduces dangerous bacteria like E. coli in cattle could be approved more quickly. However, the bill includes important safeguards: these substances must be clearly labeled as "not for use in treating disease," and they can only work within the animal's digestive tract. The bill specifically excludes hormones, antibiotics called ionophores, and anything that's already approved as a drug, so it's not opening the door to unapproved medications sneaking into the food supply.

For consumers, this could mean safer meat and dairy products if these additives successfully reduce foodborne pathogens. It could also lower food costs slightly by making production more efficient. The main trade-off is that these products will face less rigorous testing than traditional drugs, though they still need to prove they work and won't harm animals or people. The bill essentially trusts that substances working only in an animal's gut and not treating disease are lower risk than traditional medications.

Innovative FEED Act of 2023

Pence, Greg

Innovative Feed Enhancement and Economic Development Act of 2023 or the Innovative FEED Act of 2023 This bill provides for the regulation of zootechnical animal food substances as food additives.The bill defines&nbsp;zootechnical animal food substance&nbsp;as a substance that is added to the food or drinking water of animals and that affects only the animal's gastrointestinal tract, with the intended purpose of affecting the byproducts of the animal's digestion, reducing foodborne pathogens, or altering the animal's gastrointestinal biome.The definition does not include substances&nbsp;that are used to&nbsp;treat or prevent diseases in animals, hormones, or active ingredients of animal drugs. Labels for zootechnical animal food substances must include a disclaimer that the substance may not be used to treat or prevent diseases in animals.&nbsp;&nbsp;