AFIA to host 9th annual Pet Food Conference

The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) will host its ninth annual Pet Food Conference January 26, 2016, as part of the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) in Atlanta, Georgia. The education-packed conference is designed to inform pet food industry representatives about the latest industry initiatives, including speakers from government entities, private companies and universities.
Attendees will engage with a well-rounded cast of presenters to discuss industry issues including country of origin labeling, pet obesity trends, allergen research and the newly published Food Safety Modernization Act and its implications on the pet food industry.
“Every year attendees from around the world congregate at the Pet Food Conference to acknowledge, discuss and rectify pertinent issues affecting the pet food industry,” said Leah Wilkinson, AFIA director of ingredients, pet food and state affairs. “The conference offers an opportunity for industry professionals to unify and learn about the latest in the field.”
 IPPE is expected to attract more than 28,000 attendees and is a collaboration of three trade shows — International Feed Expo, International Poultry Expo and International Meat Expo — representing the entire chain of protein production and processing. The event is sponsored by the American Feed Industry Association, U.S. Poultry & Egg Association and the North American Meat Institute.

Texas A&M to hold course on feeds, pet food extrusion

A one-week Practical Short Course on Feeds & Pet Food Extrusion will be presented January 31-February 5, 2016, at Texas A&M University by staff, industry representatives and consultants.
The program will cover information on designing new feed mills and selecting conveying, drying, grinding, conditioning and feed mixing equipment. Current practices for production of pet foods, preparing full-fat soy meal; recycling fisheries byproducts, raw animal products, and secondary resources; extrusion of floating, sinking, and high fat feeds; spraying and coating fats, digests and preservatives; use of encapsulated ingredients and preparation of premixes, and least cost formulation are reviewed.
 Practical demonstration of pet food, vacuum coating, and several others are demonstrated on four major types of extruders - (dry, interrupted flights, single and twin screw), using various shaping dies. Reservations are accepted on a first-come basis.

WIPIN seeking experts for third annual women-focused pet business conference

Women in the Pet Industry Network (WIPIN), an organization focused on women entrepreneurs in the pet industry, is seeking experts to share their knowledge and expertise at its 2015 Conference & Awards Show, Aug. 13-15, 2015 in Portland, Oregon. The 2015 conference theme is “Creative Collaboration.”
“We’re seeking speakers who can inform and help WIPIN members—female (and a few smart male!) entrepreneurs—committed to growing their businesses, their networks and themselves,” said WIPIN President Shawna Schuh. “The annual conference is a way to augment what WIPIN provides members all year: a myriad of online resources and educational growth opportunities as well as avenues for rich collaborating.”
WIPIN’s previous conferences have featured dozens of speakers from throughout the US and Canada—a collection of skilled professionals who delivered presentations on: business growth, strategic partnerships, effective marketing and promotion, and the importance of inspiration, motivation and laughter.
“Being at the WIPIN 2014 conference as both a speaker and delegate was a complete life changer,” said Nickey Rautenberg, founder and online marketing strategist of Pet Industry Marketing Group. “Speaking gave me great exposure for my business and also allowed a greater merger between the world of Internet marketing and the pet industry; my ultimate goal. I have no doubt that the Women in the Pet Industry organization will continue to allow me to network in a way I would not be able to otherwise.”
WIPIN invites speaker proposals for the following overall categories:

• Developing effective business strategies
• Mastering marketing, PR and social media
• Maximizing networking and connection opportunities
• Managing resources wisely
Experts interested in speaking at the 2015 conference can view the speaker application and submit their proposals online. 

IPPE 2014 attendees can view two new animal exhibits

Attendees of the upcoming 2014 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) will have an opportunity to explore two new interactive exhibits: The Smithsonian's Animal Connections: Our Journey Together mobile exhibit and the Drive to Feed Chew on This mobile exhibit. Both exhibits will be on the show floor in Hall B at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, throughout the show, January 28 - 30, 2014.  
The Smithsonian's Animal Connections: Our Journey Together mobile exhibit was created to mark the 150th anniversary of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and will introduce IPPE attendees to the complex bond between humans and animals. The exhibit uses a combination of interactive learning stations, films and touch-screen videos, and 3-D settings to explore topics about animals in the home, on the farm, in the wild, at the zoo and in the veterinary clinic. 
The Drive to Feed Chew on This mobile exhibit was created to heighten awareness about one of the biggest problems facing our world today - hunger. The exhibit allows attendees to walk through and view information on hunger, sustainability and food facts.

Pet Food Conference to be hosted January 28, 2014, at IPPE in Atlanta, Georgia, USA

The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) in partnership with the Poultry Protein and Fat Council will sponsor the seventh annual Pet Food Conference on Tuesday, January 28, 2014, the first day of the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE). The conference will be held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
The meeting's topics will range from updates on the Food Safety Modernization Act, third-party certification programs including AFIA's Pet Food Manufacturing Facility Certification Program, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), as well as a panel discussion on communication and industry best practices. The conference will feature several industry experts discussing topics impacting today's petfood and petfood ingredient manufacturers, including Svetlana Uduslivaia of Euromonitor International, speaking about domestic and global industry trends.
New for 2014, the conference will include a luncheon with guest speakers from Nutra Blend LLC discussing the "Drive to Feed the World/Chew on This" tour as well as consumer-outreach messaging. 
"We are excited to kick off IPPE with AFIA's annual Pet Food Conference, which attracts more than 200 participants each year." said Leah Wilkinson, AFIA director of ingredients, petfood and state affairs. "The seminar covers everything from product claims, marketing and nutrition to regulatory and technical aspects of production and is a great networking opportunity."
The conference registration fee is US$60 through December 31. 

Latest Victam publication includes info on 2014 animal feed conferences

Victam International released its spring edition of Showtime, available for download online. This latest edition of Showtime contains information on animal feed production tonnages, rice consumption, technical articles, and information on the FIAAP, VICTAM and GRAPAS Asia 2014 exhibitions and conferences.
In addition to information on the FIAAP, VICTAM and GRAPAS Asia 2014 exhibitions, Showtime contains information on the first ASEAN Feed & Rice Symposium and summits, held during the 2014 event in Bangkok, Thailand.
Exhibitions for the events are more than 60 percent sold, including companies such as Alltech, Biomin, Cargill, Dr. Eckel, DSM, Kemin and Novos, which all already reserved their stands. The early bird discount for registration is till available until September 1. 
The events will be held April 8-10, 2014. Petfood Forum Asia will also be co-located with the shows, taking place April 9, 2014, in Bangkok. 

AFIA Pet Food Conference draws 25 percent higher attendance in 2013

The American Feed Industry Association hosted its annual Pet Food Conference, along with the Poultry Protein & Fat Council, at the International Production and Processing Expo, drawing 25 percent higher attendance than in 2012.
The day-long conference featured a variety of experts discussing topics impacting today’s petfood and petfood ingredient manufacturer.
Key speakers included representatives of the Center of Disease Control, the US Food and Drug Administration, the Association of American Feed Control Officials and the American Meat Institute, among others.
One of the featured speakers was Dr. Dan McChesney, director, Office of Surveillance and Compliance, at FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine. Dr. McChesney gave a detailed update on the Food Safety Modernization Act and the upcoming petfood rules.
Another highlight was the third-party certification panel, which featured Keith Epperson, vice president of manufacturing and training, AFIA; Josey Byrne, certification manager, Eurofins Scientific; and Henry Turlington, quality and food safety director, The Nutro Company. Epperson and Byrne detailed the AFIA facility certification process, called the Pet Food Manufacturing Facility Certification Program, while Turlington detailed the process from the applicant’s experience.
Additionally, a session, entitled Post California Prop 37 – What Now?, was presented by Ab Basu, managing director of state affairs at Biotechnology Industry Organization. The American Meat Institute’s Janet Riley, senior vice president of public affairs and member service, detailed the crisis communication strategy during the 2012 lean, finely textured beef scare.
The Pet Food Conference took place at the International Production & Processing Expo, held January 29-31, in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Alltech to host Animal Health and Nutrition Symposium in May

Alltech will host the 2012 Animal Health and Nutrition Symposium on May 20-23, with a focus on the "SMART Revolution": SMART ideas, SMART industry leaders, SMART use of resources, SMART business practices and SMART nutritional solutions.
SMART is an acronym for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound, the five criteria Alltech says a business case should encompass to increase the chance of success. Among the topics are: Keeping your companion animals healthy: Genetic factors and nutritional solutions for maintaining a healthy body condition and preventing obesity; Growing grain grab in a growing industry: Smart alternatives to scarce ingredients; Fish meal replacement in a rapidly expanding industry - The algae revolution; Creating Raving Fans - Marketing excellence; Getting closer to customers: Understanding generational differences for successful messaging and media; The YUM experience in China: Successfully transforming a global brand for local success; and First mover advantage: Emerging consumer trends.

American Feed Industry Association hosts Pet Food Conference

At the 2012 International Feed Expo/International Poultry Expo, recently held in Atlanta, Georigia, USA, the American Feed Industry Association hosted the annual Pet Food Conference.
The Pet Food Conference covered topics ranging from regulatory issues to the technical aspects of production, food safety, marketing and use of ingredients. The conference featured expert speakers from companies and organizations, including Euromonitor International, ADM Alliance Nutrition, Novus International, Eurofins Scientific, Trouw Nutrition USA, DSM Nutritional Products, SPF North America, American Proteins, Pet Food Association of Canada, National Renderers Association, the Association of American Feed Control Officials, and the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Dan McChesney, FDA-CVM, spoke to attendees about the Food and Drug Administration's progress on the Food Safety Modernization Act, which charged the agency with improving the safety of food prevention within the U.S. “As the risk goes up, we need to be certain we’re controlling it,” he said. McChesney advised feed facilities to identify what controls are already in place compared to what is required by the Food Safety Modernization Act. Most importantly, he said, the facility is required to reconcile any differences and to document those controls. “Whatever you have identified as a hazard, you have to have a preventive control to address that hazard,” said McChesney.  Dr. McChesney also addressed the upcoming change to the Association of American Feed Control Officials’ feed ingredient approval process, with the Food and Drug Administration set to step aside from the process in 2012. “The AAFCO process is not going away without anything to replace it,” he said.
Dr. McChesney will speak about the Food Safety Modernization Act and petfood regulation at the upcoming Petfood Forum, taking place April 2-4, in Schaumburg, Illinois, USA.

AFIA to host 2012 Purchasing and Ingredient Suppliers Conference

The American Feed Industry Association will host its annual Purchasing and Ingredient Suppliers Conference for more than 450 buyers and sellers of animal feed and pet food ingredients, from March 14-16, 2012.

Pet food industry professionals interested in the current state of the animal feed industry are encouraged to attend the event, which will be held in Orlando, Florida, USA, at the Omni ChampionsGate.

Highlights of the program include tips on bar code data collection for managing productivity, inventory management and traceability; packaging and requirements; an overview of federal regulatory requirements for producing animal feed; and China's impact in the US animal feed industry.

AFIA's Nutrition Committee will also host a pre-conference seminar on Tuesday, March 13, 2012. The seminar is open to all conference attendees but requires an additional registration fee.

Eurofins to host Environmental Monitoring Workshop for petfood manufacturers

Eurofins will host an Environmental Monitoring Workshop for pet food and feed manufacturers on Tuesday, November 8, at the Hyatt O'Hare in Rosemont, Illinois, USA.
The workshop will cover ways to mitigate environmental risks like pathogens through improving environmental monitoring systems. Eurofins speakers include Dr. Douglas Marshall, chief scientific officer, and Patricia Wester, director of food safety programs. The workshop will provide attendees with a free environmental monitoring guide.

For more information or to register, visit Eurofins' website.

FDA official to be keynote speaker at Feed, Pet Food Conference

Michael Taylor, the deputy commissioner for foods at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be the keynote speaker at the Feed and Pet Food Joint Industries Conference.
Taylor will speak on FDA's plans to implement a preventative and risk-based approach to petfood and feed safety. The focus will specifically be on how such changes will affect manufacturers and their suppliers. Other speakers include Dan McChesney, director of the Office of Surveillance and Compliance at FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine and Kent Kitade, president of the Association of American Feed Control Officials.

AFIA petfood conference largest in event history

The American Feed Industry Association’s (AFIA) Pet Food Committee and USPOULTRY's Poultry Protein & Fat Council organized and sponsored the Pet Food Conference during the 2010 International Feed Expo.
The two-day Pet Food Conference, the largest in the event's history, included speakers such as Dr. Dan McChesney of the US Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine and Dr. Frank Jones of the University of Arkansas. Both addressed topics related to controlling Salmonella in the production of petfood.

Kemin hosts petfood safety symposium

Kemin will host Food Safety in Petfoods and Petfood Ingredients at the Renaissance Suites Hotel on Oct. 6-7 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
The different sessions at the symposium will cover regulatory issues, quality and testing and manufacturing techniques.
For more information, visit www.kemin.com.

Texas A&M offers short course on petfood extrusion

The one-week Practical Short Course on Feeds & Pet Food Extrusion will be presented Jan. 31- Feb. 5, 2010 at Texas A&M University by staff, industry representatives and consultants.
The program will cover information on designing new feed mills and selecting conveying, drying, grinding, conditioning and feed mixing equipment.
For more information, visit www.tamu.edu.

PFI annual meeting schedule announced

Pet Food Institute’s (PFI) Annual Industry Meeting will be held October 13-15 in Washington DC, USA.
The first day’s petfood program will be held at the PFI office. For the next two days, the meeting’s venue will be the Omni Shoreham hotel.
Registration can be done on the PFI site.

Pet Food Conference in January 2010

The third annual Pet Food Conference organized by the American Feed Industry Association will be held January 26-27, 2010, at the Georgia World Congress Center.
The conference will focus on industry issues like petfood markets, salmonella control, state and federal inspections and ingredient approval.
Pre-registration for the conference is $35 or $60 at the door. More information and a registration link can be found at www.petfoodconference.com/2010PFC/index.cfm.