Pet Food Processing

During the 2026 Animal Health Summit, Richard DeLuca, executive vice president and president of Animal Health for Merck Animal Health was presented with this year’s Iron Paw award for his leadership and dedication to the animal health industry throughout his career. #PetIndustry #PetFoodIndustry

The IAMS™ Brand, part of the Mars family of brands, recently announced the upcoming IAMS Dog Run Marathon — a race specifically designed to give dogs a marathon of their very own in partnership with active lifestyle app Strava. Launched in partnership with gold medalists Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall, the running challenge invites people and their pets to complete 26.2 miles over 30 days from Sept. 1 through 30, ahead of some of the country’s biggest marathons. “At IAMS, we know dogs are more than companions. They’re partners in the active lifestyles we share together,” said Mindy Barry of Mars Pet Nutrition North America. “The Dog Run Marathon celebrates the dogs who show up for every mile, and IAMS High Protein is there to fuel their energy and recovery, keeping them in the day-to-day race, with a protein-rich recipe that helps keep dogs strong and healthy.” Continue reading about the initiative: https://ow.ly/Ch2x50ZGHLk #PetFoodIndustry Image source: Mars

The 2026 Animal Health Summit in Kansas City, Mo. has officially commenced! The Pet Food Processing team is looking forward to a great two days filled with education and catching up with members of the industry. Stay tuned for more coverage of the event! #PetIndustry #PetFoodIndustry

News from World Grain 📰 ADM received a tax credit from the Iowa Economic Development Authority board to convert an underutilized facility in Clinton, Iowa, into a precision fermentation facility. The 463,503-square-foot facility will produce additional high-value biobased products. The project includes new processing equipment for separation, purification, drying and packaging as well as upgrades to existing fermentation equipment, piping and supporting systems to enable large-scale production of proteins and enzymes. The $55.5 million project is expected to create 53 jobs. Details: https://ow.ly/UzGS50ZGHJF #Agriculture #PetFoodIndustry

The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) announced the winners of its first–annual Graduate Student Poster contest during its 2026 Annual Meeting this week in San Diego. The honors recognized graduate and doctoral students whose work is advancing animal nutrition, feed safety, ingredient innovation and regulatory science. First place went to Sierra Collier of Kansas State University for her research on soybean meal quality in US soybean processing plants; Second place went to Hannah Shinnerl of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for her research on developing and validating analytical methods to measure chitin in insect-sourced ingredients; and third place went to Vannith Hay of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for his research on the microbial safety of raw poultry-based #PetFood through high-pressure processing. “The Graduate Student Poster session has been a successful addition to our annual meeting — it’s been inspiring to see the students’ vision regarding the future of animal food and to see them engage with major players across the animal food industry, regulators and academics,” said Austin Therrell, executive director of AAFCO. “AAFCO is proud to recognize these students for their hard work and commitment to advancing animal nutrition and food safety.” More details on the winners and their research: https://ow.ly/H9BJ50ZGHCO #PetFoodIndustry

Hatching Time announced its foray into the #PetFoodIndustry through its new sister company Oldfield Pets. The company specializes in natural treats, chews and supplements for cats and dogs, aiming to bring transparency to household pets at affordable prices. Oldfield Pets is founded by Hatching Time Co-Chief Executive Officers Ryan Flanagan and Yagiz Aksu and pet industry veteran Clayton Payne. The company was created after Hatching Time observed that nearly nine out of ten of poultry keepers also own cats or dogs, and these consumers wanted to apply the same standards of care from their poultry flocks to their pets. “My rescue dog, Hazel, was a big part of getting this started. Changing her diet showed me how hard it is to find treats and supplements that aren’t crazy expensive and have ingredients you actually recognize,” Flanagan said. “But it really came together when Yagiz and I started talking about my concerns for Hazel, and Clayton brought his lifetime in the pet industry to the table. Oldfield Pets was born, named after Oldfield Road in our Fairfield neighborhood, Hazel’s first real home.” Get the full scoop on the new company and its mission: https://ow.ly/gYuV50ZGHwI #PetFood Image source: Oldfield Pets

Today's #PetFoodIndustry headlines: 🐾New #PetNutrition brand Oldfield Pets makes its debut 🐕IAMS and Strava team up to host a Dog Run Marathon 🏆The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) recognizes graduate student research during its 2026 Annual Meeting 🏭ADM receives tax credit for fermentation project To read these stories and more, be sure to visit our website!

Consumers today view their cats and dogs more like their own children than animals, resulting in more humanized #PetFood products. From treats that mimic popular human foods to more human-grade sourcing and manufacturing, humanization in the #PetFoodIndustry is clearly here to stay. “Humanization of pets is being driven in part by Gen Z and Millennial consumers who represent a large percentage of the current pet population, as these generations have higher expectations of nutrition in pet food products than previous generations,” revealed The Honest Kitchen CEO Will Lisman. “Additionally, younger consumers are more likely to have fewer children than previous generations, so pets often fill the gaps in their families.” Continue reading on how humanization is influencing the industry and how some companies are playing into this movement in the latest issue of #PetFoodProcessing: https://ow.ly/VOiZ50ZGHqG Image source: The Honest Kitchen

🚨 Time is running out — only 30 days remain until the Pet Food Processing Exchange! Secure your spot now to connect with #PetFoodIndustry leaders, gain actionable insights from expert-led sessions and discover new strategies to tackle today’s production, innovation and sourcing challenges. Don’t wait — register today: https://ow.ly/VNAp50ZFMVZ #PFPExchange #PFPE2026 #PetFood

News from MEAT+POULTRY 📰 IPPE recently opened applications for its Young Leaders Under 30 Award. The program works to recognize people between the ages of 21 and 29 who are looking to build connections within the food industry, expand their knowledge and show interest in the latest innovations. The award is sponsored by the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA), Meat Institute and U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, the organizers of the IPPE trade show. Nominees must be employed by a company involved with poultry or meat production and processing or animal food manufacturing, and the company must be member of AFIA, Meat Institute and/or USPOULTRY. Applicants can submit their information by Sept. 28. More details on the award: https://ow.ly/5wfA50ZGaGR #PetFoodIndustry #AnimalFeed Image source: Sosland Publishing Co.