The 16th annual American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) Pet Food Conference (PFC) occurred yesterday, in conjunction with the 2023 International Production & Processing Expo. With more than 400 petfood professionals in attendance, this conference provided an opportunity to hear the latest news within the growing petfood and treats industry, as well as network with established experts and emerging professionals.
“Some of the biggest takeaways attendees took from the conference is the need to accurately sample for aflatoxins in order to control for them,” says Louise Calderwood, AFIA’s director of regulatory affairs. “We had a packed room the entire day and certainly learned a lot.”
The AFIA Pet Food Committee builds the PFC agenda every year on industry input and acknowledgement of the changing marketplace. This year’s conference discussed current petfood research and forward-looking issues, such as the impact of flavour on animal metabolism and mergers and acquisitions that are shaking up the industry, different approaches to sampling and controlling for aflatoxins, and more. In addition, the Food and Drug Administration provided updates to attendees on what the agency has planned for regulating the petfood industry in the new year.
The AFIA also announced Steve Thomas, recently retired vice president of protein sales for Darling Ingredients, as the recipient of the third annual AFIA Friend of Pet Food Award in recognition of his work in sustainability and new product development.
Three graduate students also presented their new petfood research to the members, covering topics such as “The Link Between Soluble Fibre and Diet-Related Heart Failure in Beagles,” “The Role of Dried Brewer’s Yeast in Gastrointestinal Health and Immune Function of Dogs,” and “Amino Acid Digestibility and Protein Quality of Mealworm-based Ingredients Using the Precision-fed Cecectomised Rooster Assay.”
The 2024 AFIA Pet Food Conference will take place Jan. 30 in Atlanta, Ga., during the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE).
For more information visit the AFIA website, HERE.
