250 Quantifying feed ingredient consumption for U.S. pet food.

Abstract In March 2025, the Institute for Feed Education and Research (IFEEDER) published the 2024 Pet Food Production and Ingredient Analysis report. The effort was in collaboration with the American Feed Industry Association, the Pet Food Institute, and the North American Renders Association. The objective of this presentation is to convey study findings relative to over 600 ingredients as consumed by dogs and cats in the U.S. Using a national pet food retail volume and sales data around the U.S., it was estimated that for the 8.9 million metric tons (MMT) total consumption, 4.33 MMT was fed to cats and 6.56 MMT was purchased for dogs. While volumes declined slightly from 8.92 MMT in 2019 to 8.89 MMT in 2024 total sales revenue was up mainly due to increases in ingredient prices as well as consumer desire for higher value ingredients in their pets’ food. Pet food manufacturers have increased the variety of ingredients included in formulations. The top six classes were animal proteins with 275 ingredients, specialty products with 155 ingredients (including items such as fruits and vegetables), plant carbohydrates with 80 ingredients, plant proteins with 49 ingredients, plant fats with 24 ingredients, and animal fats with 13 ingredients. Several changes in the market and consumer demands were observed between 2019 and 2024 with fresh and frozen meat and poultry products increasing 34% from 1.66 MMT to 2.23 MMT. While included in lower amounts, the largest increase (95%) was observed in the use of marine products from 0.23 MMT to 0.46 MMT. Farm or mill-based plant products increased 2% from 3.66 MMT to 3.74 MMT. Finally, animal protein meals and fats decreased 12% from 1.61 MMT to 1.42 MMT. The manufacturing of pet nutrition products is an essential part of the desire to reduce food waste and prevent food loss. Many co-products from animal and plant processing for human food are utilized in pet formulas. Through the upcycling of these ingredients into nutritious diets for animals, the industry contributes to overall efforts in agricultural sustainability. Coproducts from plant and animal sources were classified as upcycled ingredients for the purpose of this report. The use of upcycled ingredients for pet food was greater at 56% compared with 44% of other sourced ingredients. These data can be used by various industries to manage trends and focus on the utilization of upcycled ingredients. The Pet Food Ingredient report is a comprehensive assessment made available to all stakeholders. The results demonstrate the vital role that pet food manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, renderers, and row crop farmers play in keeping animals fed throughout their lives while promoting sustainability by using upcycled plant and animal coproducts.