New Report Highlights US Animal Food Industry's Resilience, Innovation and Challenges Ahead

The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) has released "Our Industry, Our Promise," its 2025-26 State of the U.S. Animal Food Industry Report, highlighting how the animal food industry continued feeding animals, supporting communities and driving innovation amid political, regulatory and global market changes.

The interactive annual report is the culmination of the AFIA's celebration of America's 250-year anniversary guided by the annual theme, "Feeding Independence, Growing Innovation." As the AFIA spent the past year illustrating to policymakers how a resilient food system will support another 250 years of American growth and leadership, the report showcases the industry's economic contributions and progress in animal food safety, supply chain resilience, sustainability, regulatory advocacy, workforce development and international trade.

"The strength of our industry lies in its people and their shared commitment to supporting a safe, sustainable and resilient food system," said Dan Meagher, AFIA's 2025-26 Board chair and president and chief executive officer of Novus International. "Through collaboration, science-based advocacy and continued innovation, AFIA members are helping the industry navigate today's challenges while preparing for tomorrow's opportunities."

The report focuses on accomplishments, updates and new frontiers during AFIA's fiscal year, which ran from May 1, 2025, through April 30, 2026, with sections covering the industry's:

• $267.1 billion economic footprint - Nearly 5,650 U.S. animal food manufacturers supported more than 80,300 jobs and paid $18.5 billion in local, state and federal taxes in 2023.
• Strong commitment to animal food safety - More than 1,000 facilities are Safe Feed/Safe Food certified, and roughly 99% of federal inspections found strong safety practices and procedures in place at feed mills and pet food manufacturing facilities.
• Science-based policy and regulatory advocacy - The AFIA advanced ingredient review reforms, built support for the Innovative Feed Enhancement and Economic Development Act and represented the industry on emerging federal and state policies.
• Supply chain resilience and global competitiveness - U.S. animal food exports reached $7.8 billion in 2025, while the association's global affairs team continued to work to expand market access opportunities for its members and elevate feed supply chain vulnerabilities to key decisionmakers.
• Sustainability leadership - As of the most recent figures in 2023, upcycled ingredients made up at least half of pet food ingredients and 37% of livestock feed ingredients.

The report also details AFIA's educational and professional development programs, which brought together thousands of animal food industry professionals throughout the year at in-person events and online. These efforts included food safety training, technical education, networking events and international business development opportunities.

The annual report spends time peeking into a future of public-private collaboration to support supply chain infrastructure challenges, stronger animal disease preparation and navigating emerging policies. Filled with industry data, policy analysis and member achievements, the "Our Industry, Our Promise" report demonstrates how the AFIA and its members are strengthening U.S. food security, supporting economic growth and advancing animal nutrition. The full 2025-26 State of the U.S. Animal Food Industry Report is available at afia.org/promisesreport.