AFIA Pet Food Conference to Focus on Industry Trends, Innovation

Registration is now open for the American Feed Industry Association's (AFIA) annual Pet Food Conference (PFC), happening Jan. 27, 2026, in conjunction with the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) in Atlanta, Ga. This event brings together 500 professionals working in the pet nutrition industry, offering insights into emerging trends, regulatory updates and the latest research.

"We are excited to present an engaging program for this year's Pet Food Conference," said Louise Calderwood, AFIA's director of regulatory affairs. "From the latest trends in pet food ingredients to emerging developments in marketing and the role of artificial intelligence in recipe design and production, this year's agenda will give attendees a glimpse into both the challenges and opportunities shaping our industry."

This daylong conference will feature presentations and discussions on key topics impacting the industry. Highlights from the agenda include:

• Ed Loos, account manager at Innova Market Insights, will cover current trends in pet food ingredients.
• Hana Bieliauskas, senior vice president and partner at Inspire PR Group; Lynn Verstrepen, director of strategic growth at BESTMIX Software and Tara Zadayko, chief scientific officer at Ollie, will share the uses of artificial intelligence in recipe design and kibble production.
• Jeff Tomberlin, Ph.D., AgriLife research fellow and presidential impact fellow at Texas A&M University, will discuss the role of black soldier fly larvae in pet food.
• Students will present research on emerging issues in the pet industry.

In addition to these sessions, the PFC will also feature regulatory updates from staff at the Food and Drug Administration, and the presentation of the 6th annual Friend of Pet Food award given to individuals who have made recent significant contributions to support the growth of the pet food industry.

The AFIA is also inviting undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral students to showcase their research at PFC. Applications are due Thursday, Nov. 6, and more information can be found at afia.org/events/pfc/students/.

For more information, visit petfoodconference.com. To register for PFC, add the event during IPPE registration.