As we step into 2025, the Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER) is proud to reflect on a successful year and share a glimpse of what is ahead. IFEEDER’s mission is to advance understanding and trust in a sustainable feed and pet food supply chain, and it continues to drive every project undertaken.
Last year, IFEEDER provided actionable resources, engaged industry stakeholders and conducted important industry research, laying the groundwork for greater industry impact in the upcoming year. With the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) just around the corner, there is no better time to recognize all that IFEEDER accomplished in 2024 and preview the exciting reports IFEEDER will debut in Atlanta.
Delivering new toolkit resources
Last summer, IFEEDER delivered tools to help the industry navigate sustainability challenges and opportunities. This work is built upon the Sustainability Road Map project, which launched in 2021 and provides strategic guidance to the animal feed industry in meeting the evolving sustainability needs of customers, shareholders and other stakeholders.
A key outcome of the road map project is the Animal Food Industry Sustainability Toolkit, which is designed to provide business leaders with actionable resources for developing internal sustainability programs, responding to stakeholder requests and effectively communicating their sustainability efforts. IFEEDER recently added three new resources to the toolkit to further support these goals.
The first addition is a comprehensive collection of material issues resources. These resources offer detailed descriptions of 16 key areas that are “material,” or important, to sustainability in the animal feed industry. The resources also include the area’s potential value to the industry and real-world examples from industry members, developed in collaboration with Iowa State University, demonstrating the tangible benefits of addressing these issues.
The second addition provides insights into what sustainability metrics the animal production sector is focusing on and how innovation in the feed industry may help the sector achieve its desired footprint reduction goals. With insights from 11 U.S. and Canadian animal production sector organizations and a literature database examining how novel feed ingredients impact animal performance, the resource provides a comprehensive landscape assessment.
Unveiling what’s next at IPPE
At IPPE, IFEEDER will engage with industry stakeholders, share more about the recently released resources and debut the results of two key reports that inform our understanding of the feed and pet food industries. The pet food and feed ingredient consumption reports have become staple datasets that provide the most comprehensive analysis of feed and pet food ingredients used and the sheer amount of food consumed by various species. The data from these reports inform industry members, stakeholders and researchers, who can better understand the scope and status of ingredients and use.
At the American Feed Industry Association’s (AFIA) Pet Food Conference, happening at IPPE, IFEEDER will present the latest findings from the pet food report, which will offer an in-depth look at the ingredients used in the pet food industry, and its economic impact. Highlights from this report include an ingredient analysis, using reverse engineering to identify ingredient trends in dog and cat foods without revealing proprietary recipes, and an economic impact study that estimates the pet food industry's multiplier effect on the broader agricultural community. The final report will also include practical resources, including fact sheets and downloadable social media graphics, enabling companies to easily share key findings with their stakeholders.
During an IPPE TECHTalk session, IFEEDER will share the insights from the feed ingredient consumption report, which offers the most comprehensive analysis of feed ingredient use across 48 ingredients and 10 animal species, including aquaculture, beef cattle, broilers, dairy cattle, hogs, horses, layers, sheep and meat goats. Data is gathered from various regions, factoring in agricultural practices and local feed availability. The report will include a life stage analysis, breaking down consumption patterns from juvenile to mature animals.
Supporting the future of the feed industry
If you are attending IPPE, IFEEDER invites you to join us at the AFIA Pet Food Conference or the TECHTalk sessions to learn more about our latest reports and engage in conversations about the future of the industry. As we continue to expand our efforts and reach, your involvement plays an important role in building on last year’s momentum. To learn more about IFEEDER’s work and how you can contribute or get involved, visit ifeeder.org.
Lara Moody is the Institute for Feed Education and Research’s executive director. She can be reached at [email protected].
Lara Moody, executive director, Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER)Courtesy American Feed Industry Association
