Petfood Forum tentative schedule of events
Monday, May 1
7:45 a.m.-5 p.m.
Petfood Essentials
1500 Rooms
10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Registration
Lobby 2300
10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Exhibitor move-in
Halls C, D and E
5:30-7:30 p.m.
Petfood Forum and Petfood Essentials opening reception
Kansas City Power & Light District
Tuesday, May 2
7 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Registration
Lobby 2300
7 a.m.-2 p.m.
Cash coffee bar
Lobby 2300
7-8 a.m.
Breakfast
Room 2215
8-8:50 a.m.
Welcome and opening keynote: David Allison, What Valuegraphics can tell you about your pet food consumers
Allison will share the common core values of pet owners, based on an exclusive survey conducted uniquely for Petfood Forum to help brands and companies anticipate consumer behaviors and needs for the types of pet foods and treats they seek to buy.
Room 3501
9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Exhibit hall open
Halls C, D and E
9:15-9:45 a.m.
Coffee break
Halls C, D and E
9:45 a.m.-12 p.m.
Petfood Forum Student Program research presentations and education session
>> Sponsored by: ADM, Kemin, Schenck Process and Wenger
Learn more about the Student Program
Future of Pet Food Pavilion, Hall C
9:50 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Pet Food Tech Talks
- 9:50 am: Improving quality through automation — Sponsored by Northwind Technical Services
- 10:05 am: Evidence-based approach to guide your probiotic choice — Sponsored by Chr. Hansen
- 10:20 am: Digital Workflow using CONiQ® Assist — Sponsored by Schenck Process
- 10:35 am: Compostable/Recyclable materials and machinery compatibility: Updated choices and options — Sponsored by ProMach
- 10:50 am: Why natural color in pet food matters? — Sponsored by Oterra
- 11:05 am: Introduction to commercial freeze drying in the pet food industry — Sponsored by Parker Freeze
- 11:20 am: Unlock the power of Zinpro Performance Minerals for improved coat quality — Sponsored by Zinpro
- 11:35 am: Predictive Analysis: Smart data, healthy pets — Sponsored by Gray Solutions
See full descriptions and speaker details here
Tech Talk Stage, Hall D
12:15-1:30 p.m.
Lunch
Halls C and E
12:15-1:15 p.m.
Lunch n’ Learn: Pet Food Institute panel discussion on pet food regulatory process
Panelists include: Dana Brooks, president and CEO, Pet Food Institute; Liz Koutsos, Ph.D., president of EnviroFlight, and Loretta Hunter of Nestle Purina PetCare.
Tech Talk Stage, Hall D
1:30-3:55 p.m.
Concurrent sessions: Understanding today’s pet owners, going to market
Room 2505
1:30-2:35 — Roundtable: Pet owner perceptions of companion animal nutrition
- Leveraging human food and nutrition trends to develop taste and nutritional solutions for pets — Soumya Nair, global consumer research & insights director, Kerry
- Exploring nutrition among pet food shopper segments in the post-pandemic marketplace — Doug Barton, CEO, Trone
- Pet owner attitudes toward pet probiotics in pet food, treats and supplements — Lidiia Alaverdova, head of global marketing, AHN and global pet portfolio, Chr.Hansen
3:15-3:50 — Bringing a new product to market: Lessons learned — James Peterson, Ph.D., technical advisor, Craig Grantham, director of business development; Scott Lewis, manager of operations; Jodi McCarthy, president; Pet Food Solutions
1:30-3:55 p.m.
Concurrent sessions: Novel pet food ingredients and nutrition concepts
Room 2502
>> Sponsored by: ADM
1:30-2:00 — Quantifying the environmental impact of pet food ingredients and products via life cycle assessment — Sean Madison, director of North American business development, Innovafeed
2:05-2:35 — New developments in processing meat-analog pet foods — Alexandre Riethmuller, process engineer, Clextral
3:15-3:55 — Roundtable: Inflammation insights
• Inflammaging in the domestic cat: A longitudinal study — Emma Bermingham, Ph.D., principal scientist, We Are Illume
• Managing low-grade chronic inflammation through pet food diets — Ashley Wagner, technical sales manager, Probiotech International
1:30-3:55 p.m.
Concurrent sessions: Unknotting the pet food supply chain
Room 2503
1:30-2:35 — Roundtable: Seeking supply chain, inflation solutions
• How pet food manufacturers and ingredient suppliers can capture cost savings — Douglas McArthur, general manager, Supply Tigers
• Integrating plant floor automation to alleviate quality, supply, labor shortage issues — Heather Johnson, automation manager, Interstates
• Busting the top 4 myths to achieve sustainability in pet food (despite supply chain constraints) — Jonathan Dressler, project manager associate, CRB
3:15-3:50 — Pet protein ingredients from smaller meat and poultry processors: Challenges and opportunities — Dave Carter, regional director for technical assistance coordination, Flower Hill Institute
1:30-3:55 p.m.
Concurrent sessions: Pet food regulatory and safety innovations
Room 2504
>> Sponsored by: Ecolab
1:30-2:00 — Audit processes in pet food: Regulatory, customer, sustainability, GFSI — Billie Johnson, Ph.D., food safety and regulatory compliance manager, BHJ USA
2:05-2:35 — Pet food recall readiness 2.0 — Laurie Henry, partner, Shook, Hardy & Bacon
3:15-3:55 — Roundtable: New preservation research
• Preserving next-generation pet food — Sara Cutler, Ph.D., senior technical services manager, Kemin Nutrisurance
• Raw material shelf life impacts performance and palatability of pet food — Brittany White, Ph.D., director, product development, innovation and applied research, Simmons Pet food
2:35-3:15 p.m.
Coffee break
Halls C, D and E
4-6 p.m.
Networking reception
Halls C, D and E
4:15-5:15 p.m.
Student and industry research poster meet-and-greet
Future of Pet Food Pavilion, Hall C
Wednesday, May 3
7 a.m.-2 p.m.
Registration
Lobby 2300
7 a.m.-2 p.m.
Cash coffee bar
Lobby 2300
7:15-8:15 a.m.
Breakfast
Room 2215
8:15-9 a.m.
Wednesday eye-opener session: Mary Kelly, Futurenomics: Turning crisis into clarity for your team and organization
Kelly will present Futurenomics: an economic snapshot of all the issues affecting the economy — and pet food businesses — now, including inflation, staffing shortages and ongoing supply chain disruptions. She will provide solutions and handouts to help attendees understand how to best lead teams through difficult situations
Room 3501
9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Exhibit hall open
Halls C, D and E
9:30-10 a.m.
Coffee break
Halls C, D and E
9:30-11:30 a.m.
Petfood Forum Student Program presentations
>> Sponsored by: ADM, Kemin, Schenck Process and Wenger
Learn more about the Student Program
Future of Pet Food Pavilion, Hall C
9:50-11:30 a.m.
Pet Food Tech Talks
- 9:50 am: A billion beneficial gut bugs for a healthy cat and happy parent — Sponsored by Phileo
- 10:05 am: Freeze drying of pet food — Sponsored by GEA
- 10:20 am: Protecting and perfecting pet food: A Science-backed approach — Sponsored by Kerry
- 10:35 am: New opportunities: Advances in formulation technology for pet food — Sponsored by Format Solutions
- 10:50 am: Automation: The brains behind precision and profits in pet food production — Sponsored by Buhler
- 11:05 am: Microbiome from mom – Why the early microbiome is essential for pet health and nutrition — Sponsored by IFF
See full descriptions and speaker details here
Tech Talk Stage, Hall D
11:30-11:45 a.m.
Announcement of student research competition awards
Future of Pet Food Pavilion, Hall C
11:45 a.m. -1 p.m.
Lunch
Halls C and E
12-1 p.m.
Women in Petfood Leadership Lunch N’ Learn
Be A.R.M.E.D for the changing workplace by Mary Kelly
RSVP required. Learn more
Future of Petfood Pavilion, Hall C
12-12:30 p.m.
Lunch n’ Learn: AAFCO ingredient perspective
Austin Therrell, executive director, AAFCO
Tech Talk Stage, Hall D
12:30-1 p.m.
Lunch n’ Learn: AAFCO’s human-grade pet food standards
Katie Simpson, pet food specialist, Office of Indiana State Chemist
Tech Talk Stage, Hall D
1-2:15 p.m.
General session plus panel Q&A: What’s next for pet food?
David Sprinkle, publisher, Packaged Facts
This session will include a panel discussion after the presentation. Besides Sprinkle, panelists include:
- Henriette Bylling, CEO and owner, Aller Petfood
- Tiffany Ruiz Dasilva, VMD, cVMA, professional services veterinarian, Wild Earth
- Dave Carney, area sales manager, North America, pet food and aquafeed for Buhler
- Jennifer Silverberg, CEO of SmartCommerce
Room 3501
2:15-3 p.m.
Ice cream social and raffle
Halls C, D and E
Monday, May 1; All activities will take place at the Kansas City Convention Center
7:45-8:30 a.m.
Registration/check-in with light breakfast & coffee
8:30-9:15 a.m.
Welcome and opening session: Trends and developments in the pet care industry
Speaker: Mark Strobel, senior research manager with Euromonitor International
The latest data and trends on a variety of developments in pet care, including premium pet food formats, digitalization and growing focus on sustainability: How have these trends developed, and which will last over the long term? What is the outlook for the industry through 2027?
9:15-10:30 a.m.
Session 2: Nutritional research on minimally processed pet diets: What we know and still need to understand
Speaker: James Templeman, Ph.D., adjunct professor at the University of Guelph and a nutritionist with Primal Pet Foods
Research findings on studies designed and conducted to validate the nutritional benefits of feeding these alternative types of complete and balanced diets.
10:30-11 a.m.
Coffee break
11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Session 3: What processing means for alternative pet foods
Speaker: Grace Danao, Ph.D., research associate professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Defining high-pressure processing, freeze-drying and dehydration technology and other ways to safely process alternative pet foods without changing their formats.
12:15-1:15 p.m.
Lunch
1:15-2:30 p.m.
Session 4: Packaging, distributing, and retailing
Speaker: Jason Sawyer, Ph.D., associate professor of meat science at Auburn University
A packaging and distribution expert provides an overview of the latest research and tips on packaging and shelf-life considerations for alternative pet foods, including cold chains for raw/frozen products.
2:30-3:15 p.m.
Session 5: Safety and testing for alternative pet foods
Speaker: Samuel Kiprotich, Ph.D. student at Kansas State University
Samuel Kiprotich, Ph.D. student at Kansas State University, shares research on using new food additives to keep alternative pet foods safe and pathogen-free. He also gives an overview of other safety methods, including high pressure processing, irradiation, and microwaves.
3:15-4:15 p.m.
Wrap-up: Groups’ presentations and judging of the ideas
4:15-5 p.m.
Petfood Essentials mixer
