James Kyffin is the Commercial Director for ADM’s Pet Nutrition business in the EMEA region as well as the Business Development Director for ADM’s Pet and Animal Well-Being division. He is a qualified veterinary surgeon and is experienced in the nutraceutical industry with a specialisation in probiotics for dogs, cats and horses.
You have a rich career in the industry. What initially lead you to this field?
From a very young age I have had a passion for helping animals, which is why I started my career as a veterinary surgeon. After graduating from the University of Bristol in 2000, I spent five years working as a small animal veterinarian in the UK. I was offered the opportunity to join ADM Protexin as an International Technical Manager and saw this as an opportunity to have a greater impact on animal welfare than I could in veterinary practice; it would allow me to reach more vets, pet owners and animals on a global scale. I have spent 15 years with ADM Protexin now, in a variety of roles, spreading the message about the health benefits of microbiome modulation, pet supplements and, more recently, pet nutrition.
In your opinion, how has the pet nutraceutical industry evolved over the past decade, and what do you think have been the most significant driving forces behind these changes?
We have seen tremendous changes over this period. We have moved from nutraceuticals being treated with some skepticism to now being a mainstay in the management of pets’ health and wellness. This has been driven by companies, like ADM, investing in pre-clinical and clinical research to advance our understanding of how prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics can have health effects in animals, and how combinations of ingredients can act synergistically to provide additional benefits.
How do you personally view the role of probiotics in improving the overall health and well-being of pets, and are there any specific success stories or studies that stand out to you?
I think we are only just beginning to understand the true scope of how beneficial probiotics (and postbiotics) can be and that it is not a ‘one size fits all’ situation, so we need different biotics for different concerns. I think most people are familiar with biotics for gut health, but I have been most impressed with our recent work with canine and feline oral health. We undertook an extensive screening process to identify the bacterial strain that would be most likely to have an impact across all the different factors that contribute to poor oral health, and then took that candidate strain forward to in vivo clinical studies. This postbiotic, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum CECT9161, has shown to inhibit canine oral biofilms and support a reduction of dental plaque. The fact that a postbiotic alone can have such positive effects on dental and oral health is so innovative and a real success story. A manuscript on this clinical trial, which corroborates in vitro findings, has been accepted for publication.
What do you think are the key factors driving consumer interest in plant-based proteins for pets, and how do you see this trend evolving in the near future?
We know there is a significant humanisation trend in the pet industry with dogs and cats being treated more and more like part of the family. Inevitably, pet owners will look for solutions for their pets that also meet the needs they define for their own food or supplements. I think plant-based proteins fall into this category as pet owners are becoming more aware of the environmental impact of the foods they, and their pets, eat. Plant-based proteins are perceived as a more sustainable option by many, but we also need to ensure they are suitable to maintain the health of pets. Increasingly, we are seeing a rise in the popularity of insect-based proteins that could be considered superior in terms of sustainability and may also have a benefit in terms of their nutrient profile compared to other proteins. In addition to insect proteins, I believe we will see an increase in alternative proteins that are not necessarily plant-based, such as those produced via cell culture techniques.
How does your experience as a veterinary surgeon influence your work in the nutraceutical industry, especially in the context of strategic development and team management?
Despite not having worked as a veterinary surgeon for 15 years, I have maintained the analytical mindset that is typical amongst scientists. I am always challenging the available data and ensuring we bring products to market with ingredients that are supported by the best available scientific evidence. I am still greatly influenced by the need to improve the lives of pets, so this forms the basis of everything I do at ADM.
From your perspective, what are the biggest challenges the pet nutrition industry faces in terms of sustainability, and how can companies like ADM overcome these challenges to create more sustainable products?
Sustainability needs to be a fundamental principle in all we do within the pet industry to ensure we can bring about essential changes on a global scale. At ADM, we assess our extended supply chain and bring about effective change where we can. Our corporate Strive 35 sustainability initiatives include goals to achieve deforestation-free supply chains globally in 2025, allocate 25 percent of our total energy usage to low-carbon sources by 2035 and reach net-zero by 2050.
Additionally, we are accelerating efforts that will encourage global producers to adopt regenerative agriculture practices on more acres, which supports responsible sourcing of the ingredients that can be used in our human and petfood and animal feed formulations. ADM is committed to assessing and addressing the environmental impact of our pet solutions, from sourcing to production to packaging. Our attention to these key concerns ultimately supports global pet parents’ desire for products that may help minimise negative impacts to the environment.
Published in the September 2024 issue of International Petfood.
