Innovative FEED Act of 2025

This bill sets clear rules for certain substances added to animal feed or drinking water. It creates a new category called “zootechnical animal food substances.” These are added to affect what happens in an animal’s gut, like changing digestion byproducts, lowering harmful germs in food animals, or changing the gut microbiome. They must work only inside the animal’s digestive tract. They are not allowed to be hormones, disease treatments, ionophores, or active parts of approved animal drugs. Under this bill, these substances are treated as food additives, not drugs, and must go through the food additive review process at FDA, with data showing how they work and how much is needed to get the intended effect . Labels must include the statement “Not for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in animals,” and they may explain the intended gut-related effects. If that statement is missing, the product is considered misbranded. The bill also says the government cannot force anyone to use these substances .

• Who is affected: Animal feed makers, livestock producers, and veterinarians who advise on feed and water additives .
• What changes: FDA will review these gut-focused substances as food additives (not drugs), require proof they achieve their intended effect under set conditions, and require clear labeling with a disease-use warning. Products missing the warning would be misbranded .
• When: The text provided does not state timing for when these changes take effect .