policy
Food safety
The AVMA supports appropriate educational, legislative, and regulatory measures to assure that foods of animal origin are safe and wholesome. AVMA…
Food Safety Advisory Committee
The Food Safety Advisory Committee advises the Board of Directors on food protection (food safety, food defense, and food security) issues.
policy
The importance of veterinarians in food safety
The AVMA recommends that the USDA's Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service take three actions to enhance the recruiting and retention of…
policy
Safety of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and genetically engineered (GE) food
The AVMA believes mandatory labeling of GMOs and GE foods or food products is not necessary.
policy
Education and training in food safety, security and defense for veterinary medical professional and paraprofessional students
The AVMA recommends that state and federal entities develop and expand training programs for veterinary students in the area of food safety,…
policy
Technologies for pathogen mitigation in food processing
The AVMA supports the use of pathogen reduction processes, such as pasteurization, irradiation, high pressure processing, and other science-based…
policy
Organic foods
Food producers should be encouraged to provide medically necessary therapy, including antimicrobials, under a veterinarian’s direction, regardless of…
Safe handling of pet food and pet treats
Commercial pet food and treats can provide healthy diets and tasty rewards for pets but need to be handled with health and safety in mind. Just like…
policy
Truthful and nonmisleading human food labeling
The AVMA supports truthful and non-misleading labeling of animal-derived human food products that meets specific criteria.
policy
Marketing claims regarding agricultural animal food products
Understand when the AVMA believes a veterinarian should be involved in processes and practices that underlie marketing claims for animal-derived food…
Salmonella: Dry pet foods and pet treats (FAQ)
Questions/answers about Salmonella and pet food: How can pet food become contaminated? How can humans and pets become infected? How can you minimize…
policy
Approval and availability of antimicrobials for use in food-producing animals
The availability and effectiveness of antimicrobials, including medically important antimicrobials, are important to support the health and welfare of…
Veterinarians and One Health
Whether as clinical practitioners, epidemiologists, or ecological experts, veterinarians are essential to protecting the health and safety of animals,…
Veterinary feed directive (VFD) basics
The FDA's Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) requires a veterinarian’s involvement when any medically important antibiotic is fed to a food animal…
policy
Raw milk
The AVMA supports laws requiring pasteurization of fluid nonhuman mammalian milk intended for direct sale or distribution to consumers and opposes…
5 reasons you want a veterinarian on your team in a zombie apocalypse
Under normal circumstances, we'd never recommend that a veterinarian treat a human. But in a zombie apocalypse... physicians might be hard to come by.…
policy
Use of technology in veterinary medicine
The AVMA supports responsible and ethical development and use of technology that can benefit and protect public health, animal health and welfare, and…
policy
Livestock identification and animal traceability
Permanent, unique identification of animals and premises is essential for tracing origin and destination of livestock to protect the nation’s…
policy
Public health and regulatory veterinary medicine continuing education
State and local associations, colleges, and departments of veterinary science should include in CE programs a representative offering of subjects on…
policy
Role of the veterinary profession in national, state, and local emergencies
The AVMA recommends that emergency management organizations include veterinarians in the planning process and response operations.
policy
Joint AVMA-FVE-CVMA statement on the role of veterinarians in advancing One Health—A global public good
This statement has been adopted jointly by the AVMA, Federation of Veterinarians of Europe and Canadian Veterinary Medical Association.
policy
Healthy People 2030
The Healthy People initiative is a 10-year strategy that identifies public health objectives and tools for improving our nation's health. The AVMA is…
policy
Raw diets for dogs and cats
The AVMA discourages the feeding to cats and dogs of any animal-source protein that has not first been subjected to a process to eliminate pathogens…
Resource Links: Amphibians, Reptiles and Salmonella
Links to information about the transmission of Salmonella from handling reptiles and amphibians.
Outdoor enthusiasts and their companion animals
The AVMA has the following advice to help keep outdoor enthusiasts and their animal companions safe while enjoying outdoor activities.