Petfood Forum 2018 Recap

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Thousands of professionals from 38 countries and nearly 300 exhibitors gathered for education, networking and to conduct business at the Petfood Forum in Kansas City, Missouri, April 23-25. The conference and exhibition provided numerous opportunities to network and conduct business with industry professionals from around the world, learn the latest in trends and innovations, discover new tools for success and share ideas.

Attendees included professionals working in pet food nutrition, ingredient and processing technologies, packaging, food science, R&D, product development, food safety, QA/QC, purchasing, import/export and regulatory compliance.

Over 21 percent of those in attendance were from international pet food companies from countries including Brazil, Germany, Japan, Mexico and Thailand.

This year’s lineup of speakers included 40 globally recognized presenters who shared new research and insights on a variety of topics including trust and transparency, alternative ingredients for pet food applications, producing clean-label raw pet foods and reaching the connected consumer.

Jack Hanna, conservationist and television personality, along with his animal guests, kicked-off the conference. Hanna shared inspirational stories dealing with issues of conservation, travel and wildlife. Dr. Brian Hare, associate professor at Duke University and New York Times bestselling author, closed the three-day event with a thought-provoking presentation on how dogs observe, understand and react to the world.

New in 2018, the Student Career Center featured academic pet food research conducted by undergraduate and graduate students.

The next Petfood Forum events are:

Petfood Forum China | August 21, 2018 | Shanghai, China

Petfood R&D Showcase | October 9-11, 2018 | Manhattan, Kansas

Petfood Innovation Workshop & Petfood Forum | April 29 – May 1 | Kansas City, Missouri