Approximately 500 pet food industry experts recently gathered at the American Feed Industry Association's (AFIA) 17th Annual Pet Food Conference, held during the 2024 International Production and Processing Expo. Hear the latest on sustainability and emerging trends impacting the industry.
“This year’s AFIA Pet Food Conference attracted a record number of attendees, with pet owners excited to learn more about how they can innovate and become more sustainable to meet the pet nutrition challenges of the future. It demonstrated the commitment of the food industry,” said Louise Calderwood, AFIA Director of Regulation. . “This year's lineup of speakers has certainly inspired us to think more deeply about how we approach our current realities and seize the opportunities of the industry's future.”
The conference featured sessions on global market trends, sustainable pet food formulation and packaging, industry impact on climate change, and topics surrounding biotics. Additionally, the conference featured a panel discussion with two distinguished guests: Ambassador Doug McCullip, Chief Agriculture Negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and Alexis Taylor, Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. I did. The panel discussion featured a lively conversation about the intersection of agriculture and trade policy and how pet food manufacturers can engage in educating foreign buyers about their products.
“Looking at the big picture, product and formulation personalization, natural and consumer-friendly products, and, of course, sustainability are all important trends for the pet food industry,” said Lynn, Director of Innovation and Innovation. Dawnblazer said. Mintel Insights. “Pet owners want to know what's in their products, why it's in it, and how it got there.”
The AFIA Pet Food Committee, which is tasked with developing the annual conference agenda, invited four graduate students to present on current research in the pet food industry. Research topics include “Yeast-based ingredients influence fermentation kinetics of canine gastrointestinal microorganisms,” “Consumer-focused sorghum landscape analysis in North American pet foods,” and “Canine protein quality analysis for determining protein quality.” “Effects of reformulation of crystalline amino acid reference diets''. and “Pet food producers' perceptions of sorghum as an ingredient in pet food/treats.”
AFIA also announced Dr. Angele Thomas, founder and president of Thompson PetTech, as the 2024 Friend of the Pet Food Awards.
