Highlights from Petfood Forum 2023

3,700 pet food professionals from 43 countries gathered for education, networking and to move the industry forward

The 2023 edition of Petfood Forum 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. Petfood Forum 2023 was held on May 1-3, in Kansas City, Mo., USA.

Petfood Forum 2023 featured an expanded Exhibit Hall floor where attendees engaged with 371 of the pet food industry’s top supplier companies.

“As a first time visitor to the Petfood Forum, I was completely overwhelmed, IN A GREAT WAY! The exhibition hall had a tremendous amount of booths to hit and the information sharing was top notch. KC supplied a great venue to meet new and existing customers! I can’t wait to come back next year.” – McKenzie Alvarado, commodity sales and purchasing manager, Jennie-O Turkey Store

Make plans to attend Petfood Forum 2024 on April 29-May 1 and be a part of the next edition of the global pet food industry’s must-attend event.

Petfood Forum 2023 Highlights:

  • Hundreds of pet food companies were represented including BarkBox, Blue Buffalo, BrightPet Nutrition Group, Canidae Pet Foods, Champion Petfoods, Chewy Inc., Freshpet, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Instinct Pet Food, Mars Petcare, Natural Balance Pet Foods, Nestlé Purina PetCare, Nom Nom, Nulo Pet Food, Primal Pet Foods, Simmons Pet Food, Tuffy’s Pet Foods, Wild Earth and many others.
  • Keynote David Allison, founder of the Valuegraphics Project, opened the conference on May 2 by outlining the common values among pet owners
  • Mary Kelly, founder of Productive Leaders, laid the groundwork for retaining employees during her keynote presentation on May 3
  • This year’s lineup of speakers included dozens of globally recognized presenters who shared new research and insights on a variety of topics including the long-term effects of commercially available diets on cats’ health, exploring nutrition among pet food shopper segments, new developments in processing meat-analog pet foods, fostering a positive food safety culture and much more.
  • The Pet Food Tech Talk stage showcased the latest products and capabilities from suppliers and innovators assisting pet food companies worldwide
  • Graduate students presented the latest academic research in companion animal nutrition

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

Press and media seeking admission into Petfood Forum must be approved by the event organizers. Organizers will provide press releases, and video footage taken by Petfood Forum staff upon request. Please contact Steve Akins at sakins@wattglobal.com for more information.